The International Finance Corporation has marked the close of its three-year Designing for Greater Efficiency programme in Ghana, describing the initiative as a major milestone in the country’s transition towards low-carbon and resource-efficient buildings.
At a close-out event in Accra last week, the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, said the programme had delivered strong results across universities, professional associations, technical institutes and the wider construction industry, positioning Ghana as a leader in green building adoption in West Africa. The programme was implemented with funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.
Since its launch in 2022, the DfGE programme has focused on strengthening technical expertise in sustainable building design, supporting curriculum adoption and expanding climate literacy among architects, engineers and construction professionals. Ghana emerged as one of the strongest performers among the five participating countries, alongside Colombia, Peru, Indonesia and South Africa.
Through the initiative, five universities, one professional association and one technical institute integrated green building training into their programmes. In all, 30 trainers were prepared to deliver the curriculum, while 254 students and professionals completed the course, including 67 women, reflecting growing gender inclusion in a sector traditionally dominated by men.
Beyond formal training, more than 870 people were reached through nationwide workshops, awareness activities and three zero carbon design competitions. The IFC announced that the DfGE online course, updated to align with the latest global EDGE standards, will remain accessible beyond the programme’s close out to sustain knowledge sharing and long term impact.
“Ghana’s implementation has been nothing short of remarkable. The sustained interest across universities, professional bodies and industry demonstrates the country’s readiness to scale green building practices. The skills developed through DfGE will support Ghana’s transition to a low-carbon future while creating opportunities for innovation, jobs and climate-smart growth,” the IFC Senior Country Officer, Yewande Giwa, said.
The IFC also revealed that Ghana has surpassed one million square metres of EDGE certified green building space, the highest in West Africa, with more than 51 projects across residential, commercial and public facilities attaining certification. According to the IFC Green Building Lead for Ghana, Paul Ocran, this achievement signals a decisive market shift. “EDGE has helped demonstrate that efficient, climate-responsive buildings are financially viable and technically feasible. Ghana’s achievement sends a clear signal that the market is shifting decisively toward sustainability,” he said.
Representing SECO, the Head of Cooperation, Magdalena Wüst, praised Ghana’s leadership and the strong uptake of the DfGE curriculum. “Switzerland is proud to have supported a programme that empowers students, faculty and practitioners with the skills to design and deliver low-carbon buildings,” she said, adding, “This is not the end, but the beginning of deeper innovation and sustainable growth.”
In his keynote address, the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Hon. Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to embedding sustainability in housing and construction policies, noting that buildings contribute significantly to global energy use and emissions. He commended the IFC and SECO for their “visionary support” and said, “Tonight marks the beginning of a movement. The expertise cultivated here will shape Ghana’s built environment for decades to come.”
With the successful completion of the DfGE programme, the IFC said Ghana now has a stronger ecosystem of trained professionals, updated academic curricula and growing private sector adoption of green building practices, pledging continued collaboration with government and industry stakeholders to support a resilient and low carbon construction sector.