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Experiences with the Mass Distribution of LPG Stoves in Rural Communities of Ghana

EcoHealth volume 15, pages 757–767 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Household air pollution (HAP) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. To limit HAP exposure and environmental degradation from biomass fuel use, the Government of Ghana promotes liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) use in rural Ghana via the Rural LPG program (RLP). We assessed the experiences of the RLP in 2015, 2 years after its launch. A mixed methods approach was used involving Focus Group Discussions (19) and in-depth interviews (25). In addition, a survey questionnaire was administered to elicit socio-demographic characteristics, household cooking practices and stove use patterns of 200 randomly selected respondents. At about 9 months after LPG acquisition, < 5% of LPG beneficiaries used their stoves. Some of the reasons ascribed to the low usage of the LPG cookstoves were financial constraints, distance to LPG filling point and fear of burns. Community members appreciate the convenience of using LPG. Our results underscore a need for innovative funding mechanisms contextualized within an overall economic empowerment of rural folks to encourage sustained LPG use. It emphasizes the need for innovative accessibility interventions. This could include establishing new LPG filling stations in RLP beneficiary districts to overcome the barriers to sustained LPG use.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to all respondents and households who participated in the study, to Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC), Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Petroleum (MoPET), National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Nkoranza North District, and Columbia University in the City of New York. This research was made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and by the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. The contents of this study are the sole responsibility of researchers in Kintampo Health Research Centre and Columbia University and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government, NPA or MoPET.

Funding

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under cooperative agreement no. GHS-A-00-09-00015-00 funded Translating Research into Action, TRAction; the project team includes prime recipient, University Research Co., LLC (URC), Harvard University School of Public Health (HSPH), and sub-recipient research organizations. The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is a public–private partnership hosted by the United Nations Foundation to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women and protect the environment.

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Affiliations

  1. Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC), P. O. Box 200, Kintampo-B/A, Ghana

    Martha Ali Abdulai, Samuel Afari-Asiedu, Kenneth Ayuurebobi Ae-Ngibise, Stephaney Gyaase, Mujtaba Mohammed, Oscar Agyei, Ellen Boamah-Kaali, Theresa Tawiah, Rebecca Dwommoh, Francis Agbokey, Seth Owusu-Agyei & Kwaku Poku Asante

  2. Columbia University (CU), New York, USA

    Daniel Carrion & Darby Jack

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  1. Martha Ali Abdulai
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  2. Samuel Afari-Asiedu
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  3. Daniel Carrion
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  4. Kenneth Ayuurebobi Ae-Ngibise
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Correspondence to Kwaku Poku Asante.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

Kintampo Health Research Centre Institutional and Columbia University Ethics Review Committees and the Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Board approved the study protocol and consent forms. We obtained informed consent from all individual participants included in the study. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Martha Ali Abdulai, Samuel Afari-Asiedu: Joint first position.

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Abdulai, M.A., Afari-Asiedu, S., Carrion, D. et al. Experiences with the Mass Distribution of LPG Stoves in Rural Communities of Ghana. EcoHealth 15, 757–767 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-018-1369-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-018-1369-7

Keywords

  • Experiences
  • Mass distribution
  • LPG stoves
  • Rural LPG use
  • Ghana LPG promotion