Rebecca Wins Green Building Award
Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the First Lady, has been recognized for her contributions to Ghana Green Building Projects.
The First Lady received the special prize during the IFC/EDGE Ghana Green Building Awards, which were held at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra.
The Rebecca Foundation also got an award in the Education category on the same night for its green, sustainable market crèches.
The honors recognized the First Lady’s dedication and commitment to the construction of the Mother and Baby Unit at Kumasi’s Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, as well as her role in campaigning for social change and climate action.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo asked the audience to be excellent environmental stewards by safeguarding the environment for future generations.
According to her, irresponsible exploitation of the environment and natural resources is causing calamity, highlighting the importance of everyone being a climate champion.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors but we borrow it from our children. One way to support the agenda for sustainable living, is in the building industry. Building green sustainable structures not only addresses climate concerns, but also provides an opportunity to impact the people who inhabit them”, she said.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo supported her position by citing the excellent impact of the Komfo Anokye Mother and Baby Unit.
“I cannot give you a charge without taking on some responsibility myself. I am proud to highlight the Rebecca Foundation’s modest contributions to social change and in particular climate action, through our Let’s Go Green Initiative and the construction of the Mother and Baby Unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, the first green hospital in Ghana and Africa certified by IFC EDGE.
The facility is able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by two hundred and fifteen tonnes per year, save almost one thousand seven hundred- and eighty-megawatt hour energy consumption and ten thousand, four hundred
cubic metres of water annually. These measurable benefits are evidence and motivation, for all of us to sign up as green advocates and EDGE Champions,” she said.
Cemile Hacibeyogl, Senior Country Officer at IFC Ghana, stated that climate change investment is a priority in IFC investments in poor countries, emphasizing that the construction industry is one of the sectors that contributes to greenhouse emissions.
According to her, a Design for Greater Efficiency App has been implemented to provide a faster, easier, and more inexpensive solution to create and brand green.
Young design students who took part in the green challenge competition were recognized for their green designs and challenged to continue being green advocates and revolutionizing Ghana’s building industry.
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