Mr. Bright Kwaku Tandoh, Electrical and Electronics Standards Officer at the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), has revealed that the Authority is taking decisive steps to develop a comprehensive national code of practice to guide Ghana’s emerging green hydrogen industry.
He noted that this code will serve as a critical blueprint for ensuring safety, efficiency, and international alignment as the country positions itself within the global hydrogen transition.
He made this statement during a webinar organised by the Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) Programme in collaboration with The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre, focusing on GSA’s roadmap for green hydrogen development. The session highlighted the pivotal role standards play in building a safe, competitive, and globally recognised hydrogen ecosystem.
Mr. Tandoh outlined the mandate of the Ghana Standards Authority as the national body responsible for standards development, conformity assessment, testing, inspection, certification, and oversight of the country’s quality infrastructure. He reiterated that GSA’s standard development process follows a clear sequence; proposal, research, technical committee review, public enquiry, approval, and publication.
Speaking specifically on green hydrogen, he explained that the Authority’s roadmap involves adopting and adapting standards across every stage of the hydrogen value chain. These include production technologies, storage systems, transportation mechanisms, measurement protocols, and end-use applications. The development of a code of practice, he said, will harmonise these standards and provide engineers and industry players with proven models to work with.
GSA also plans to strengthen conformity assessment procedures, establish hydrogen-specific inspection frameworks, and collaborate with international certification bodies to ensure Ghana’s outputs meet global expectations and are fit for market entry.
Mr. Tandoh further highlighted the strong link between green hydrogen and renewable energy, noting that Ghana holds significant potential in small hydropower in addition to solar and wind.
“All over the world, when we talk about green hydrogen, the focus has always been on solar,” he said. “But small hydropower is very important. It has an efficiency of 80–90%, compared to wind at 35–45% and solar at 15–23%. Ghana has identified about 70 small hydropower potential sites, and we can leverage these for green hydrogen development.”
He stressed that robust standards and a clear code of practice will be essential in reducing production costs, minimising errors, improving safety, and supporting international trade and investment through alignment with global norms.
As part of ongoing efforts, KNUST and GSA are jointly developing a Code of Practice for Green Hydrogen Training of Engineers and Technicians in Ghana, supported by KfW under the Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA) project managed by Prof Richard Opoku.