Journal of Cleaner Production 425 (2023) 138857

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Journal of Cleaner Production

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

Drivers of green economy in an emerging market: Generic and

sector-specific insights
Scholastica Akalibey a, b, e, Albert Ahenkan a, King Carl Tornam Duho b, c, d, *, Theophilus Maloreh-
Nyamekye a, Jiri Schneider e
a
Department of Public Administration and Health Services Management, University of Ghana Business School, Accra, Ghana
b
Green Economy and Environmental Intelligence Unit, Dataking Research Lab, Dataking Consulting, Accra, Ghana
c
Development Economics Unit, Business and Economic Policy House, Accra, Ghana
d
Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, USA
e
Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Handling Editor: Jun Bi The study examines the drivers of the green economy generally and with a focus on sectors regarded as
environmental-sensitive hotspots like waste, agriculture, forestry, energy, and transport sectors. The study was
JEL classification: grounded on both the natural resource-based view and institutional theories. Creswell’s (2014) thematic analysis
O44 and the graphic framework of Miles and Huberman (1984, 1994) were used to address the respective objectives
Q01
of the study. A total of 10 interviewees were selected purposively based on their expertise and the institutions in
P28
question who provided responses that were analysed. The results show that the three generic drivers of the green
Q54
Q56 economy include pollution prevention revealed by the impact of climate change, and environmental degradation
cost, environmental stewardship portrayed by inefficient resource utilization and global demand for change, as well
Keywords:
Green economy as, sustainable development manifesting from a futuristic drive, a focus on people-planet-profit, and rejection of
Sustainable development environmentally unfriendly development models. The findings further reveal the differences and interrelatedness
Developing economies of the drivers of the green economy within the 5 hotspot sectors under investigation. The results of the study
Climate change reveal that there are different and sector-specific strategies that policymakers and practitioners have to apply in
Public policy their quest to drive a green economy at the central government, local government and grassroots levels. The
study proposes the development of a comprehensive national green economy policy and also the promotion of
peer-to-peer knowledge transfer networks structured as Communities of Practice. This study is one of the few that
explores the concept of the green economy within the macroeconomic level and is novel in attaching theoretical
lenses.

1. Introduction
Globally, several factors have made it imperative for economies to
transition from a brown economy to a green economy as an important
vehicle to achieve sustainable development (Derev’yanko et al., 2020;
Kar et al., 2015; Licastro and Sergi, 2021; Sabat et al., 2022). A brown
economy in this regard refers to an economy that depends on all forms of
environmentally destructive activities such as the use of fossil fuels for
production, generation of energy, and transportation activities, among
others. The numerous economic activities that impact the environment
negatively necessitate a change towards an economic model that pro­
motes environmental protection, preservation, and conservation. Green
economy improves well-being, ensures social equity, and reduces envi­
ronmental risks significantly (Allen and Clouth, 2012; Green Economy
Coalition, 2020; Pearce et al., 2013). The green economy concept inte­
grated and reconciles the economic, social, and environmental objec­
tives that could be pursued at the local or central government levels and
even within the private sector.
Green economy has attracted the interest of governments, econo­
mists, environmentalists, businesses, and global organisations due to the
looming threat of environmental problems (such as climate change,
global food insecurity, and ecological degradation, among others).
Governance and policy initiatives such as the United Nations Sustain­
able Development Goals (SDGs), and the Paris Agreement are just few of

* Corresponding author. Green Economy and Environmental Intelligence Unit, Dataking Research Lab, Dataking Consulting, Accra, Ghana.
E-mail address: kctduho@gmail.com (K.C.T. Duho).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138857
Received 31 December 2022; Received in revised form 14 June 2023; Accepted 13 September 2023
Available online 14 September 2023
0959-6526/© 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
S. Akalibey et al.
the many initiatives aiming to drive the transition to the green economy.
Yet, there is limited progress as the concept is difficult to measure and
making progress is assessed on subjective basis (Bailey and Caprotti,
2014; Hadsell, 2010; Svendsen, 2013). Moreover, research in this area is
still at its initial stages coupled with a wide number of studies investi­
gating heterogenous issues that are lumped together as green economy.
Given that there have been considerable efforts to define the concept of
the green economy since its inception in the late 1980s, there is the need
to provide a detailed examination of the factors that drive economies to
adopt green economy (Allen and Clouth, 2012; Merino-Saum et al.,
2020; OECD, 2011; UNEP, 2011). There were studies that examined
green economic adoption in the private sector (Derev’yanko et al., 2020;
Purwandani and Michaud, 2021; Sabat et al., 2022; Yi, 2014), while
some others have focused on the macroeconomic context but with
limited scope either because of limited quantitative data availability or
how the studies were designed (Kar et al., 2015; Yi and Liu, 2015). The
studies usually fail to provide a theoretical lens in examining the concept
of green economy or its drivers.
This study aims to use a qualitative research design to address two
specific research questions: 1) In light of the natural resource-based view
and the institutional theory, what drives the transition to the green
economy in the Ghanaian context? and 2) What sector-specific pecu­
liarities exist regarding the transition of environmentally sensitive sec­
tors of the economy to green economy? Using Creswell’s (2014)
thematic analysis and the graphic framework of Miles and Huberman
(1984, 1994) as analytical mechanisms for the respective research
questions, the study collected interview data from 10 experts working
with government institutions. The data collected from October to
December 2019 were transcribed and analysed to develop specific
themes which form the basis of discussions made in line with theory and
empirical literature. The results show that in line with the natural
resource-based view (and linked to the institutional theory), the generic
drivers of the green economy include pollution prevention (impact of
climate change, and environmental degradation cost), environmental
stewardship (inefficient resource utilization and global demand for
change), and sustainable development (futuristic drive,
people-planet-profit, and environmentally unfriendly development
models).
Additionally, the sector-specific drivers of the green economy are
interlinked but with some specific variations. For the waste management
sector, the drivers are the focus on recycling, education, the impact of
governance reforms and behavioural changes. In the case of the agri­
culture sector, the drivers of the green economy are focused on proper
farm practices, climate-smart agriculture, green finance and the call to
advance research and development. The green economy transition in the
forestry sector is driven by sustainable agro-forestry initiatives, efforts to
conserve biodiversity and reports from impact evaluation and moni­
toring activities. The energy sector’s green economy is driven by the
quest to create job opportunities, track and reduce carbon footprint, and
achieve energy security, while for the transport sector the drivers are e-
mobility and the health implications of the brown economy to the sector.
The insights of the study are relevant for practitioners, political leaders,
policymakers, activists, international development experts, and aca­
demics alike.
The remainder of the study is organised as follows. The next section
explores the empirical and theoretical literature on green economy. This
is followed by section 3 where the methodology and methods of the
study have been discussed. Section 4 provides the results of the field­
work, a discussion and an analysis of the results. Section 5 draws con­
clusions on the study and provides the implications for policy, practice
and future research.
2. Literature review
This section encompasses a critical review of the theoretical and
empirical literature on the concept of green economy.
2
Journal of Cleaner Production 425 (2023) 138857
2.1. Theoretical review
In this section, the drivers of the green economy were discussed from
the perspective of the Natural Resource-Based View and the institutional
theory. Based on the theories, a framework was developed to portray the
nature of interactions and their mechanisms.
2.1.1. Institutional theory
The Institutional Theory was propounded by Meyer and Rowan
(1977) to explore how organisations or institutions are related and
shaped by their societies, states, nations, and the global environments
(Ball and Craig, 2010; Duho, 2020; Powell and DiMaggio, 2012; Scott,
1987; Wr, 2008). The theory also assesses the formal and informal
constraints that force organisations to employ certain peculiar strategies
to survive in their environment referred to as isomorphisms (de Lange,
2021; Gupta and Gupta, 2021; Radaelli, 2000). Organisations that aim
to be consistent with the expectations of their institutional environment
are shaped by what DiMaggio and Powell (1983) termed as institutional
isomorphism. The theory identifies three isomorphisms, namely coercive
isomorphism, mimetic isomorphism, and normative isomorphism. These
isomorphisms are referred to by the theory as the pressures that force
organisations and, in this context countries, to transition. The institu­
tional isomorphic pressures relate to the various overt and covert pres­
sures which are evident in the institutional environment.
The three isomorphic pressures have been applied to firms and in­
dividuals but can be applied to countries at the macro level. First of all,
coercive isomorphism relates to how organisations adopt certain stra­
tegies and initiatives consistent with the larger institutions because of
the pressures from rules, laws and regulations either at the national,
regional or global levels (Gunarathne et al., 2021; Qi et al., 2021).
Moreover, mimetic isomorphism is the force that propels organisations
or institutions to copy or imitate the practices of their competitors or
allies because of the intention to also obtain the desired outcome or
follow a path to success (Martínez-Ferrero and García-Sánchez, 2017;
Naveed et al., 2022; Sarkis et al., 2011). Also, normative isomorphism
relates to where organisations or institutions adopt changes related to
their profession or a certain standard or operation to meet social obli­
gations and expectations to enable them to gain more legitimacy and
success (Gunarathne et al., 2021; Martínez-Ferrero and García-Sánchez,
2017; Oliver, 1997).
2.1.2. Natural resource-based view
Resources available to institutions define their potential and growth
or development trajectory. A search through the extant literature reveals
that a critical theory used to explain sustainability issues is the natural
resource-based view. Its root is within what is called the natural
resource-based view of the firm which has been applied to the corporate
literature at the firm level (de Stefano et al., 2016; Hart, 1995; Hart and
Dowell, 2011). The natural resource-based view argues that firms have
some competitive (and even transient) advantages which they can
explore when they consider the natural environment in making strategic
moves (Duho and Onumah, 2019; Hart, 1995). The natural
resource-based view is built on the previously used resource-based view
but with a particular focus on the nature-based resources which are
impacted or impact the existence of organisations (Barney, 2001;
Kraaijenbrink et al., 2010; Wernerfelt, 1984). In the conceptualization
by Hart (1995) the study argued that the three interconnected capabil­
ities for obtaining a sustainability-based strategic advantage are i)
pollution prevention, ii) product stewardship and iii) sustainable
development.
Applying this theory to the macro level, there are three strategic
levers on which a brown economy can transition to a green economy to
build national competitive advantage, namely emission or pollution pre­
vention, sustainable development policies, and product or firm stewardship
(herein referred to as environmental stewardship) (Barney, 2001; de Ste­
fano et al., 2016; King and Lenox, 2002). The theory contends that there
S. Akalibey et al.
are specific factors that drive the attainment of each of the
sustainability-driven capabilities. For instance, a stance for pollution
prevention helps to achieve emission and waste reduction while a focus
on product stewardship reduces the life cycle costs of products. Through
the focus on sustainable development, even in the pursuit of growth and
development, negative environmental externalities will be reduced
(Baumgartner and Rauter, 2017; Hart and Dowell, 2011; Shrivastava
and Hart, 1995). Various researchers in the post-SDG context (from
2015 till now), have been commenting on the ways that environmental
sustainability and pollution prevention can be championed in both
developed and developing countries (Elleuch et al., 2018).
2.1.3. The institutional theory and natural resource-based view link
The two theories on sustainable management can be used to explain
the shift from the brown economy to the green economy. Taking this at
the national level or from the group of firms (industry) level, the specific
sub-mechanisms of the theories combine forces to drive the way coun­
tries transition to a green economy. We discuss the specific components
of the natural resource-based view and how it cascades into the insti­
tutional theory.
First of all, in discussing pollution prevention within the lens of
institutional theory, the isomorphic pressures can drive a country or
industry to transition to a specific sustainability stance. The resolve at
the national level to pursue a pollution prevention policy either for
emissions or waste creation can be altered by any of the institutional
pressures, either coercive, mimetic or normative. For instance,
enforceable regulations or executive orders on waste management in the
cities can help prevent pollution. Similarly, where there is the requisite
education and training on pollution prevention, there will be some
positive change along this line. At the national level, the various inter­
national frameworks that other countries within the same international
economic bloc follow can drive a national effort towards preventing
pollution. Examples of some of these include the initiatives of the United
Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Multilateral Environmental
Agreements like the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) (Khan
et al., 2021; Laudari et al., 2021).
Moreover, the same interlinkage is evident in the discussion on
product stewardship (in this case, environmental stewardship) and
sustainable development. For all the actors within the national econ­
omy, every economic activity needs to consider the interests of posterity
as much as it considers the current objectives. In this context, the citi­
zenry including the various social and institutional structures are
stewards who have to act in a responsible manner that secures the in­
terest of the future generation. On this basis, the factors to drive the
multiple stakeholders to act responsibly could be in the form of any of
the three isomorphic pressures. For instance, there could be regulations
at the local government level on ensuring that businesses are responsible
for their products and ensuring that recycling opportunities are
explored. In this context, we are focusing on the products as part of the
broader economic model. Moreover, we can discuss this within the
sectoral level of agriculture on how farming practices need to follow best
practices to ensure environmental stewardship and reduce harm to the
planetary boundaries or harm to the local community.
Finally, sustainable development under the resource-based view can
be driven by the three isomorphic pressures of the institutional theory.
Growth and development has been viewed without accounting for
negative externalities for many years. In the current global economy, the
inclusion of negative externalities and the impact of individual and firm-
level decisions on the nine planetary boundaries (i.e. stratospheric ozone
depletion, loss of biosphere integrity, chemical pollution and the release of
novel entities, climate change, ocean acidification, freshwater consumption
and the global hydrological cycle, land system change, nitrogen and phos­
phorus flows to the biosphere and oceans, as well as, atmospheric aerosol
loading) is paramount (Lade et al., 2020; Steffen et al., 2011, 2015;
Steffen and Smith, 2013). The United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) (developed after the Millennium Development Goals),
3
Journal of Cleaner Production 425 (2023) 138857
have obtained significant global adoption based on the isomorphic
pressures each country faced. Similarly, the Paris Agreement on Climate
Change and similar global agreements are based on the forces at play
and the strategic implications for the countries. Besides the adoption of
each of these sustainability policies, each country faces isomorphic
pressures on the extent and depth to which the specific targets are met.
2.2. Empirical review of green economy
This section provides a brief discussion of the concepts and reviews
of the extant literature on the green economy at the global level and in
the developing economy context.
2.2.1. Green economy
Green economy is a multidisciplinary concept that integrates several
ideas in the areas of philosophy and economic science, international
relation, politics, public administration and accounting (Hadsell, 2010).
The term was coined in the seminal 1989 report of the Government of
the United Kingdom (Pearce et al., 2013). However, the use of the term
was just as part of the title without any direct linkage within the report,
sort of an afterthought of the authors (Allen and Clouth, 2012).
There are multiple definitions on the concept and we consider the
various definitions to develop a working definition. The concept has
been explained to be “an economy that improves human well-being and
social equity while significantly reducing environmental risk and
ecological scarcity” (UNEP, 2011). This definition which has been
widely used emphasizes low carbon, resource efficiency and social in­
clusivity. The OECD (2011) defined a green economy as “fostering
economic growth and development while ensuring that natural assets
continue to provide the resources and environmental services on which
our well-being relies.” Also, Gibbs and O’neill (2014) explained that an
economy is termed green when that economy mitigates environmental
degradation, reduces over-exploitation and waste for efficiency, mod­
erates human actions that contribute to climate change, and effectively
manages the transition process from a fossil fuel economy to a sustain­
able economy. Based on the varied definitions, we describe green
economy as rooted in the idea that growth, development and well-being
in firms, industries, countries and the world can be achieved without
negatively impacting the planetary boundaries, increasing environ­
mental risk or degrading the environment.
There are some notable principles that need to be considered vis-
à-vis the definitions prescribed above. This includes the well-being of
flora and fauna, focus on justice, respect for the planetary boundaries,
the pursuit of efficiency and sufficiency, and the resolve for good
governance practices (Green Economy Coalition, 2020).
2.2.2. Empirical studies on the drivers of the green economy
The green economy contrasts with the concept of the brown econ­
omy (Levidow, 2018; Svendsen, 2013). The brown economic model is
one that drives economic growth, development and welfare based on
environmentally destructive types of activities including fossil fuels
(coal, oil and gas). The extant literature has examined the green econ­
omy to some extent, as well as, examine how various concepts affect it
(Bailey and Caprotti, 2014; Loiseau et al., 2016; Sabat et al., 2022; Testa
et al., 2021). Generally, the studies either use a quantitative approach
and secondary data sources to draw conclusions on how businesses,
industries or even countries are edging towards a green economy, or
otherwise (Balaban, 2019; Kar et al., 2015; Li and Ji, 2021; Licastro and
Sergi, 2021; Purwandani and Michaud, 2021; Sabat et al., 2022).
Moreover, other academic-style papers and most policy articles tend to
use various narratives and perspectives from specific contexts to draw
new insights into the concept (Bailey and Caprotti, 2014; Kar et al.,
2015; Testa et al., 2021). We provide a critical discussion of some of the
selected articles though there are still limitations as to the depth of the
theoretical linkages and the contextual gap in the African context.
First of all, there are few studies that directly examined the concept
S. Akalibey et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 425 (2023) 138857

of a green economy and the driving forces that shape it in various eco­ 3. Methodology and data
nomic contexts (Balaban, 2019; Kar et al., 2015; Lederer et al., 2018;
Licastro and Sergi, 2021; Testa et al., 2021; Yi and Liu, 2015). Using This section provides a discussion of the source of data utilized for
institutional knowledge and secondary information from various sour­ the study. Also, it discusses the methodology used to address the
ces, Kar et al. (2015) explored the drivers of the green economy in the research questions.
Indian context. The study posited that a green economy is viable where
there are appropriate government policies, the right investment climate
3.1. Research design and data
and concerns of various actors for environmental sustainability. The
study provided some useful policy insights but without theoretical un­
This study utilized the qualitative research approach to examine the
derpinnings to the various arguments. A study by Balaban (2019)
opinions of policymakers and experts on the drivers of the green econ­
explained how the route to a green economy requires the development
omy in Ghana. The choice of the qualitative approach is because the
of smart cities focusing on developments in the areas of land use,
study aims to explore issues by interpreting the complex nature of the
buildings, transportation and waste management. In light of the high
issues and revealing the dynamic views of the actors (Guercini, 2014;
focus of the private sector as agents for the transition to the green
Gummesson, 2006; Merino-Saum et al., 2020; Trinczek, 2009). This is
economy, Lederer et al. (2018) elaborated that the state has a critical
based on an unstructured interview guide developed after a review of
role to play in transitioning to a green economy. In an attempt to provide
the extant literature. The first draft of the interview guide obtained some
insights on the Balkan countries (within southern Europe), Licastro and
feedback from experts and researchers to make it eclectic and to cover
Sergi (2021) noted that green transition is hampered by the inadequacy
the contextual issues that could be omitted. The researchers developed a
of policies, lack of education and awareness and inefficient allocation of
stakeholder guide, based on which appropriate institutions were con­
external resources. They also highlighted the lacuna that remains in the
tacted and further processes carried out. Face-to-face interviews were
literature on understanding the drivers of the green economy within the
arranged with the respondents in their offices (pre-COVID-19) to collate
economic bloc contexts. In a review paper, Testa et al. (2021) the found
their perspectives on the issues.1 The questions covered a variety of is­
that green consumption, a behavioural aspect of the change to the green
sues like why Ghana wants to transition its economy from the current
economy can be driven by 7 different factors. These include behavioural
conventional development model to a green development model, and
factors, intrapersonal values—environment, socio-demographic variables,
which of the drivers, either internal or external are driving this. We
products and producers-related factors, intrapersonal values—non environ­
provide the unstructured interview guide as part of Appendix A.
ment, personal capabilities, and context-related factors. Yi and Liu (2015)
As presented in Table 1 a total of nineteen participants were selected
posited that variations in green economy at the regional levels in China
purposively from five economic and environmentally sensitive sectors
is driven by local clean energy policies and socio-economic factors (e.g.
(energy, transport, waste, agriculture, and forestry) using a purposive
population, education, business climate and emissions).
sampling method but with a focus on the institution and the experiences
The limited linkage of the green economy concept to theoretical is­
sues is still evident in studies that attempted to examine the issues at the
firm level. For instance, Sabat et al. (2022) found that the drivers of the Table 1
Description of interviewees.
green economy in the Indian pharmaceutical industry are public pres­
sure, supplier pressure, and competitor pressure but not coercive pres­ # Sector/Ministries Positions Department/Division
sure from regulatory bodies or the government. Also, Ringel et al. R1 Ministry of Environment, Director Environment
(2016), noted that ambitious energy policies are paramount to the Science, Technology and
attainment of a green economy in Germany and beyond. Similarly, using Innovation (MESTI)
R2 Environmental Protection Director Climate Change and Energy
quantitative data and a fixed effect model, Yi (2014) found that the
Agency Sources & Ghana Clean
drivers of the green economy in the US context are renewable energy Production Center
policies, the use of renewable energy credits, the implementation of R3 Ministry of Food and Director Environment, Climate
minimum wage legislations and the existence of clean energy business Agriculture Change Unit
R4 Ministry of Lands and Head of Forestry Directorate
associations and non-governmental organization (NGOs). A study by
Natural Resources Research
Purwandani and Michaud (2021) empirically argues that small and Unit
medium-sized firms in the State of Ohio in the US are driven by internal R5 Forestry Commission Director Forest Service Division &
motivations and reputational capital to adopt green economic business Timber Industry Division
models. The lack of funding has been noted as an inhibitor to their ef­ R6 Ministry of Energy Director Renewable Energy
R7 Energy Commission Manager Renewable Energy &
forts to embrace a green economy. In their paper that attempted to
Licensing Unit
model some performance indicators, Derev’yanko et al. (2020) noted R8 Ministry of Transport Senior Policy Planning,
the limited literature and the complex task of tracking the move towards Planning Monitoring and Evaluation
the green economy. The food sector-focused work by Tambovceva et al. Officer Directorate
R9 Ministry of Finance Senior Economic Strategy and
(2020) concluded that the drivers of food security (linked to the green
Officer Research
economy) can be classed as basic (political freedom and corruption R10 National Development Director Development Planning
reduction), enforced (right to vote and government efficiency), and Planning Commission
intense (rule of law).
Source: Field Data, 2019
Despite the various efforts to provide an analysis on the concept of
green economy, there are limitations with a wide variety of concepts
covered with a high heterogeneity. In fact, some of the issues could be so
wide apart that a researcher may be confused as to how ‘green economy’
focused the issues are. In their review paper, Bailey and Caprotti (2014) 1
The research team comprised of 5 people with 3 working fully in academia
highlighted this complexity and argued for studies that provide onto­
and the public sector, while the 2 others work within the intersection of
logical and theoretical contributions to literature.
academia, private sector and the think tank space. All authors have worked
within the sustainable development themes at the national level, local gov­
ernment level and the community level. The team reviewed the instruments for
the engagement and provided feedback which shaped the depth of the
engagement and the quality of the results.

4
S. Akalibey et al.
of the decision making officers engaged (Bell and Bryman, 2007; Qu &
Dumay, 2011; Roulston, 2010). The criteria used for the participant
selection were that letters were given to the various organisations, in­
stitutions and commissions interviewed to select key staff informants (as
to the number of staff willing and ready to participate in the study)
capable of providing answers that will be useful for addressing the
research objectives. The interview for this study was conducted from
October to December 2019. The various respondents interviewed were
numbered, and for anonymity, the names of respondents have been
coded according to the numbers assigned to the positions.
At least one and at most three participants were obtained from each
sector due to the limited number of key informants in the green economy
in the sectors studied. Based on the expertise of the cohort of experts
from various institutions, in the course of the interview, we found that
there was some sort of data saturation (Guest et al., 2006). In their study,
Hennink and Kaiser (2021) noted that qualitative interview samples of
9–17 interviewees reach data saturation. This is because most of the
issues were raised and additional interviewees were raising points
highlighted by previous speakers. The interview data were recorded,
transcribed accordingly, and analysed to assess the drivers of the green
economy and develop themes from the data (Braun and Clarke, 2006;
Creswell et al., 2007; Creswell and Poth, 2016). The transcribed data
were reviewed several times to comprehend and understand the relevant
information and issues emerging as insights. Essentially, Creswell
(2014) thematic analysis method was used to develop key themes for the
analysis. The themes were then coded and organised categorically ac­
cording to similarities and differences. The categories were then
organised into themes. In all the processes, the theoretical lenses evident
in the literature were considered to draw some linkages to the theory.
The study also draws from the data visualisation approach developed
by (Miles and Huberman (1984, 1994). Under this approach to quali­
tative analysis, researchers use a systematic process involving, data
collection, data reduction, conclusion drawing or verifying, and even­
tually, data display in an iterative process (Henderson and Segal, 2013;
Hermawati et al., 2023; Li et al., 2022). In our study, we used this
approach to develop the fishbone diagram on the sector-specific drivers
as discussed further and based on the responses of our respondents.
Fig. 1. Conceptual framework of the study.
5
Journal of Cleaner Production 425 (2023) 138857
3.2. Conceptual framework
Two major themes emerged from the analysis: internal drivers and
external drivers. The drivers were aligned with the three isomorphism
concepts (coercive, mimetic, and normative) of change by the institutional
theory, and the pillars of the natural resource-based view. The concep­
tual framework of this study is presented in Fig. 1.
4. Findings and discussions of results
In this section, we provide the findings of the study vis-à-vis a dis­
cussion with the theoretical lenses and the extant literature. Our findings
are aligned with the two research questions, covering the generic drivers
and the sector-specific drivers.
4.1. Generic drivers of the green economy
We found that based on the natural resource-based view, there are
three key notions of drivers of the green economy which are intertwined
with the isomorphic pressures of the institutional theory. These are
pollution prevention (impact of climate change, and environmental
degradation cost), environmental stewardship (inefficient resource uti­
lization and the global demand for change), sustainable development
(futuristic drive, people-planet-profit, and environmentally unfriendly
development models). We provide a discussion of these themes in the
next sections.
4.1.1. Pollution prevention
We discuss the pollution prevention factors which are the impact of
climate change, and environmental degradation and its cost.
4.1.1.1. Impact of climate change. The impact of climate change on
livelihoods has been a key factor that the respondents raise when asked
about the driving forces of the green economy. In their responses, they
noted how their work has increasingly drifted to encompass climate-
related on all angles covering operations, financing, policy formula­
tion and implementation. A respondent from the Ministry of Transport
noted that:
S. Akalibey et al.
“I think it is obvious, globally that (green economy) is one of the driving
forces behind all these climate change agendas. I think the impacts are
already known in terms of health, climate change, and the destruction of
lives and properties. The resilience of our infrastructure is affected by the
current (brown) economy that we have. So, I think it is based on those
issues that globally everybody came together and said no, we need to
change course and therefore the Sustainable development Goals (SDGs)
and the Paris Agreement all came into being. The problems of the current
economy are poverty reduction, climate impact and health impact.” (R8)
Another respondent made arguments to imply that the contribution
of climate change to the drive towards the green economy is not only in
words or as part of policies but also backed by some efforts to provide
financing for it. They recounted how the climate funds are targeted at
both the private and public sectors of the economy. Notwithstanding,
they noted some difficulties in the forms of bureaucratic hurdles and
diplomatic failures at the international level up to the local government
as the funds are not being accessed by the intended beneficiaries. The
Ministry of Finance officials noted how they have been making efforts to
account for the climate funds from organisations like the Global Climate
Fund (GCF) and report them using the national reporting system the
Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (GIF­
MIS). A respondent from the Ministry of Finance noted that:
“We have set up a strong climate finance advisory committee, a technical
project committee. For any project that comes to the ministry for inter­
national funding, the committee reviews the project to find out whether it
should be sponsored or not. The committee is made up of the government,
private sector and the Civil Society Organization in order to have a well-
represented institution whereby no one can question the committee’s de­
cisions, credibility and trust. The government also gives some funds to the
Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) (and Metropolitan,
Municipal and District Assemblies) to undertake green activities at the
district level. Every year government funds go into climate change activ­
ities.” (R9)
Despite the efforts from the Ministry of Finance within the broader
national framework in using climate change as a lever to drive the green
economy, the officials from the other state institutions are oblivious of
the tangible impact or results on the climate change or financing drives.
An official from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resource (Forestry
Department) noted that:
“Please there are no monies, mind you Ghana is now a developing country
so donors have pulled off, and they say you are now a middle-income
country so they are done giving you grants. The monies they give is not
much compared to the kind of things they ask us to do. There is no money
sitting somewhere that they say because you want to transition to a green
economy come for trillion and go and do that. Nobody is doing that, if you
want to talk about climate change financing, go to the Ministry of
Finance, they have the green carbon funds and it is a fund people have to
write proposals and if they are lucky, they get funded. Ask them how much
funding they have been giving for the number of years they have been
chasing green carbon funds. So, you see, people go and sit on international
platforms and talk big, but when it comes to releasing money to support
those things, they do not. So, financing is one big issue.” (R4)
There are some notable studies in both the health sciences and social
sciences fields that link the role of climate action in addressing pollution
reduction and subsequently promoting green economy (Fuller et al.,
2022; Landrigan et al., 2018). Given the high focus on climate change as
a core component of the pollution prevention drive and the broader shift
to the green economy, there are overt and covert factors that are
impacting how state institutions adapt. The adaption, in this case, covers
the ability to support state and non-state actors to change their economic
models but that comes at a cost. The international level tools like the
Global Climate Fund, the Conference of Parties (CoP) and the newly
developed IMF Resilient and Sustainability Trust (RST) which focus on
6
Journal of Cleaner Production 425 (2023) 138857
supporting climate innovations as a macro critical issue are just a few of
the isomorphic pressures that countries face. The concern of one of the
respondents (R4), on how some government officials say certain unre­
alistic things on international platforms also reveals the mimicry culture
which is evident in the quest to drive climate action, especially in the
global south context.
4.1.1.2. Environmental degradation cost. There have been various
extractive activities that do not account for the entire processes
involved, especially the need for reclamation and decommissioning. The
implications for land use and the broader ecosystem and eventual im­
pacts on other economic activities have been a critical concern as
highlighted by the respondents. The experiences recorded for bearing
the risks and burdens of the delayed or lack of environmentally
responsible actions and the costs incurred afterwards are now a deter­
rent for some of the actors. A respondent from the Environmental Pro­
tection Agency noted that:
“If I mine (minerals or petroleum) and I pollute the water bodies, the cost
of making the waterbody friendly for fish and the people who depend on
the fish for their diet, is a key consideration. It is very expensive to bear the
cost of cleaning the mess.” (R2)
The socio-economic hardships evident in the community level and on
the national finances because of the pollution and degradation of land
and other resources is one that needs national attention in Ghana. There
have been various reports on how the artisanal mining sector (popularly
known as ‘galamsey’) activities have led to the destruction of livelihoods
and the ecological profile of the country. Recent efforts by the Ghana
Water Company Limited to increase their water tariffs were based on the
high cost of water treatment because of the pollution of the water bodies
(Awuah et al., 2009; Eduful et al., 2020). It is not only the water bodies
that are polluted, the country is also robbed of other natural resources,
including those that risk being extinct like rosewood (Kansanga et al.,
2021). In light of the various discussions at the international level and
diminishing public finance space, experts and practitioners are using the
cost argument as a key driver to support their green economy
arguments.
4.1.2. Environmental stewardship
There is a growing awareness of the fact that communities and non-state
actors together with their state actors have a role to play in protecting the
environment. This has led to increasing calls for environmental stewardship,
by considering the future implications of actions on the ecology, both flora
and fauna. There are two key things which drive the discussions based on the
engagements with the respondents, namely inefficient resource utilization and
the global demand for change.
4.1.2.1. Inefficient resources utilization. Another driving force is the
quest to stop the inefficient use of resources, and build a culture of
sustainable consumption and recycling. The overfocus on natural re­
sources has been a typical feature of the Ghanaian economic model since
the coming into force of the Fourth Republican Constitution in 1992 (Ali
et al., 2021; Brunnschweiler et al., 2021). Though richly endowed with
natural resources like timber, cocoa, and cashew, as well as, extractive
minerals (e.g. gold, bauxite, and petroleum), Ghana continues to export
these resources in their raw form. The significant focus has been to use
the resources to fund budgets without considering how they can be used
to alleviate the poverty and socio-economic challenges of the citizenry.
A respondent from the Environmental Protection Agency indicated that:
“And the fact is that these resources are used for export in the economy. It
very well means that the way we manage our resources determines how
development will be in future. For example, we export timber, cocoa, gold,
hydrocarbon and minerals, and all these are coming from the soil, land
and forest and they empower our economy.” R2
S. Akalibey et al.
Another respondent from the Forestry Commission noted that:
“Currently we depend more on the extractive industry, we take a lot of
natural resources and exploit them without replenishing them, we export
our raw materials in the raw form so we end up taking too many than
required so we become inefficient. And so, if you have an economy that is
strongly relying on the extractive industry, with little value addition on the
raw material, then we will definitely have ecological problems because the
rate of extraction might not be equal to the rate of replenishment.” R5
There is some sort of convergence of perspectives that the current eco­
nomic model, especially in the face of the socio-economic challenges of the
country, requires efficiency in managing natural resources (Ali et al., 2021).
The basis on which these arguments are made is driven by different isomor­
phic pressures, either by way of comparing the country’s trade performance at
the global level or considering the negative impact at the community level or
even the regulations existing with the Environmental Protection Agency or
global level best practices.
4.1.2.2. Global demand for change. The global drive for change driven
by internationally instituted agreements, policies, frameworks and co­
alitions is one of the key drivers of the green economy. Carved around
the environmental stewardship concept, there have been many global-
level, regional-level and economic bloc-level policies for driving green
economic thinking. A few of these global policies include the Kyoto
Protocol (1997), the Copenhagen Accord (2009), the Durban Platform
for Enhanced Action (2011), the adoption of the Doha Amendment to
the Kyoto Protocol (2012), the IPCC’s Assessment Reports, and the
adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, among others (Asare et al.,
2022; Bellon and Massetti, 2022; Duho, 2023). The sustainable devel­
opment goals (SDGs) are the most common and eclectic one that drives
many decisions and is now being inculcated in legislative and executive
documents.
The respondents highlighted the isomorphic pressures from the in­
ternational actors that drive the shift to the green economy. Though not
backed by the tangible implementation to obtain significant results,
there is clear infiltration of the policies at decision-making meetings. A
respondent from the Environmental Protection Agency opined that:
“Another one is the issue of sovereignty and collective responsibility of the
global community that as we are doing ours (transitioning to green
economy) if Nigeria (or the US) does not do its part, the sum effect (of
reducing negative externalities) is zero. So, how do we collectively
mobilise others to see the same way we are seeing the green economy and
take action as well?” R2
Another respondent from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture noted
that:
“We are all within a global environment and we are all driven by the
sustainable development goals and so we all have to move towards that
direction. Then the current global trend also, we have issues relating to
climate change. We have to transition from our current environmentally
unfriendly Agricultural practices such as rampant bushfires in the
savannah zone, people burning the land with the aim of hunting for
grasscutters or other animals, and abusive agro-chemical usage. We have
to look at other ways of conforming to the environment and then secondly,
you know Ghana is a signatory to the United Nations Framework
Convention on climate change, since we are related to this environment we
will have to conform.” R3
A similar focus on conformity to international conventions and
standards was highlighted by a respondent from the Energy Commission
who explained that:
“For the Scaling up Renewable Energy Programme, the country (Ghana)
has signed an agreement with the international bodies so it (Ghana)
cannot back out of that even if there is a change in governance.” R7
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Journal of Cleaner Production 425 (2023) 138857
4.1.3. Sustainable development
The findings under sustainable development were categorised into
two sub-topics, namely futuristic drive, people-planet-profit, as well as,
environmental unfriendly development models.
Futuristic Drive
Intergenerational mindfulness in terms of development is a concern
for the present generation and a strong basis on which the drive towards
a green economy is built (Summers and Zeckhauser, 2008). There is
evidence of multiple isomorphic pressures that have shaped the per­
spectives of experts and practitioners in shaping national policy. The
respondents noted the need to consider the future and the future gen­
erations in every facet of national development. This notion has been a
critical pillar in their resolve to pursue green economic activities. For
instance, a respondent from the Ministry of Environment, Science,
Technology and Innovation expressed concerns that:
“Knowing that our actions on the environment will one day, either now or
in the future have a negative impact on ourselves and the future genera­
tion. Hence, the need to ensure that the sources of our economic devel­
opment are not put in jeopardy before the next generation arrives.” R1
Another respondent from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture noted
that:
“I hope to see a situation where we have massive investment in green
technology in the near future. We also look forward to aligning our
procurement to the green economic principle, thus green economy
equipment like solar propelled equipment so that we can roll out in­
terventions that are climate smart friendly.” R3
The futuristic view of seeing economic development considers the
negative externalities that could have implications for the future. The
respondents have been exploring resources to support the drive with a
special focus on safeguarding the interests of future generations.
4.1.3.1. People-planet-profit. The work of the public sector on green
economic transition is significantly linked to the broader business and
investment climate. Thus, the private sector is closely knitted to the
efforts and interventions rolled out by the government. In Ghana, there
has been an integration of the three concerns of addressing the chal­
lenges of the people in a sustainable manner to support the planet even
for profit-making ventures (Duho, 2023; Kawano, 2020; Summers and
Zeckhauser, 2008). The broader concerns of environmental, social and
governance (ESG) developments and recycling, regeneration and
restoration (3Rs) within the private sector are just few identifiable areas
that this is revealed. A respondent from the Environmental Protection
Agency noted that:
“Now there are many companies that are doing solar right now, it took us
almost a decade to be able to convince them that solar is a whole business
on its own now we have solar companies who are giving employment to
people who are going to the bank for loans to install solar.” R2
“We need policies, we need money, we need leaders, technology, busi­
nesses and the whole society. But we also need to understand the conse­
quences of moving (to the green economy). So, we know where we are, we
know where we want to go, we know what to do to get there but what we
do not know is that the consequences of transition very fast or slow to­
wards the green economy.” R2
Another respondent from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture
opined that:
“Green technology helps in generating jobs for a number of people
because, it results in high yield such as the use of tillage, integrated pest
management.” R3
Furthermore, a respondent from the Ministry of Finance hinted at the
role of awareness creation in the drive to support the efforts at the
S. Akalibey et al.
central government level but also within the grassroots:
“There is the need to create awareness among people in the city, and rural
areas by letting them know the importance of green so they can participate
in the green transition course. We should not limit the green education to
people in urban areas only but to people at the grassroots level.” R9
Irrespective of the background of the people, the ability to magnify
the various green economy interventions will depend on how they are
educated and trained on using the new innovations as a business tool.
This will be a precursor of a change of the current business models to one
that captures environmental concerns to measure performance, growth,
development and the welfare of the people.
4.1.3.2. Environmental unfriendly development models. Another critical
sustainable development concern is that the policies, regulation frame­
works, technologies, strategies, and practices for development in Ghana
are considered environmentally unfriendly. This is even exacerbated by
the competing interests of various actors within the sustainability space.
Given the scarce resources, where the country faces economic chal­
lenges, there is a strong likelihood of jettisoning the environmental
concerns at the expense of economic gains for today. This is evident in
forms of policy inconsistencies, incoherence and conflicting directives
from the government in general. A respondent from the Environmental
Protection Agency explained that:
“The policies, technologies, programs and the practices driving the use of
these resources are environmentally unfriendly and therefore the negative
impact on the environment is high.” R2
A respondent from the Ministry of Energy highlighted the policy
inconsistencies which lead to conflicting actions from the government.
“We just found gas and it can be used to produce electricity though we also
have solar, and wind power (as sources of energy). Burning the gas is
associated with carbon emissions, which is why solar or wind is recom­
mended. So, if we decide to rely on solar and wind, what then happens to
our gas? Are we to allow it to go to waste because it’s associated with
carbon? Our transition is going to be very slow due to the availability of
Fig. 2. Diagram of the sectoral drivers of the green economy. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web
version of this article.)
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Journal of Cleaner Production 425 (2023) 138857
gas, we aren’t just going to leave the gas. We are not going to leave any
resources to go to waste and due to this the transition will be very slow.”
R6
Even without discussions on innovative carbon pricing concepts like
carbon offsetting and tax-related development in the Ghanaian context
(Duho, 2023; Wei et al., 2021), there is clear evidence of inconsistencies
in how the government is handling the green economic transition in
general. Some respondents noted that there are no tangible efforts to
have a one-off shift to the green economy model. But, others within the
environmentally conscious Ministries noted some conscious efforts they
are making in this regard. This is captured by the response from an
official of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture that:
“We came out with friendly environmental policies; we came out
with projects and programs from our policies. We also provided
human capital in terms of extension services and sensitization; we
provide technologies (to support the drive towards the green econ­
omy).” R3
4.2. Sector-specific drivers – waste, agriculture, forestry, energy &
transport
We convey the sector-specific drivers in Fig. 2 in a way to follow the
analytical framework of Miles and Huberman (1984, 1994) to develop a
fishbone diagram.
First of all, there are some notable factors that are unique to the
waste management sector that drive the green economy, namely recy­
cling, education, governance impact and behavioural changes. The re­
spondents highlighted various issues that indicate that there are various
efforts to include a culture of recycling in the Ghanaian context. This
includes efforts to promote proper waste management and conversion of
waste to energy resources. Education is another key factor as there are
increasing efforts to develop innovative tools and equipment to handle
the waste. This comes with intellectual property concerns with in­
novations and adaptation to the local context. Governance efforts
including the legal, regulatory and international standards on waste
management also drive the efforts to shift to a green economic model. In
S. Akalibey et al.
the current context of demographics and the youthful population with
the critical concerns they have for environmental sustainability, social-
cultural and behavioural factors of producers and consumers alike play a
vital role in the drive towards the green economy.
Secondly, the agriculture sector has some clear factors that affect the
transition to a green economic model. The factors critical for the agri­
culture sector are farm practices, climate-smart agriculture, green
finance and research and development. The respondents noted the need
for reforming farming practices to follow international best practices in
land use, use of agrochemicals and vertical integration, among others.
For these practices, a focus on climate-smart agriculture in the areas of
irrigation, and scientific processes that do not lead to gene modification
risks constitute some of the drivers of the green economy (Anuga et al.,
2020). Green finance is another critical factor which is tied to public
sector budgeting processes and revision of the entire procurement pro­
cesses (Ahenkan, 2020). The economic gains of employment creation
are enormous though the respondents noted the small initial gains at the
initial implementation stage. The informal sector plays a critical role in
the economic activity of the agriculture sector and green economic ac­
tivities will benefit them significantly and reduce inequality. Finally,
although a theme that is evident in all sectors, research and development
have been key drivers coupled with concerns for education and en­
gagements of multiple stakeholders. This culminates in calls for practical
actions to shape policies on the green economy and implement them.
Thirdly, the forestry sector also considers some unique factors that
drive the shift to the green economy. The green economy in the sector is
driven by sustainable agro-forestry initiatives, biodiversity conservation
and reports from impact evaluation and monitoring activities. Sustain­
able agroforestry developments are initiated by the calls for investment
in that area and increasing environmental consciousness in managing
forest resources. Given the negative impacts of deforestation, and
through regulations, there have been efforts to plant trees as ways to
drive carbon capture. There have been assessments and periodic feed­
back from the state and non-state institutions on the measurement of the
progress made in the forestry sector. In these processes, education and
consideration of indigenous knowledge play a critical role.
Finally, the energy and transport sector are driven by a number of
factors in adopting the green economic model. The energy sector is
driven by the job creation capabilities that accompany a resolve to
pursue green economy. Also, the efforts to reduce the carbon footprint
serve as an avenue to explore means to innovate and reduce the negative
externalities. Energy security coupled with the concept of energy
poverty is critical in driving the sector’s efforts in driving green econ­
omy. The transport sector is also impacted by the progress in the areas of
e-mobility and the health implications of unsustainable transport ser­
vices. In this context, there are fiscal policy tools that are available for
the country within the broader public financial management framework
to shape the tastes and behaviours of people and businesses to adopt a
green economy.
5. Conclusion and implications for policy, practice and theory
There is a general consensus on the need to shift from the current
brown economy depending on fossil fuel to a green economy that has
environmental considerations. Yet, there are limited studies on the
factors that drive the green economy and few studies tend to provide
analyses that do not encompass the relevant theoretical lenses to un­
derstand the phenomena (Bailey and Caprotti, 2014; Kar et al., 2015;
Licastro and Sergi, 2021). This study aims to fill the lacuna in the extant
literature by using a qualitative approach to examine the drivers of a
green economy and provide a sectorial lens to the findings using Ghana
as a case of an emerging economy. The study combined the natural
resource-based view and the institutional theory to explore the research
questions. The analysis of the generic drivers of the green economy is
done in line with Creswell’s (2014) thematic analysis while the
sector-specific drivers were analysed using the graphic framework of
9
Journal of Cleaner Production 425 (2023) 138857
Miles and Huberman (1984, 1994).
Using the data collected from middle and top-level executives from
government institutions, the finding revealed that the generic drivers of
the green economy are: pollution prevention (impact of climate change,
and environmental degradation cost), environmental stewardship (ineffi­
cient resource utilization and global demand for change), sustainable
development (futuristic drive, people-planet-profit, and environmen­
tally unfriendly development models). The findings revealed that the
three isomorphic pressures of the institutional theory, namely coercive
isomorphism, mimetic isomorphism and normative isomorphism shape
the resolve to pursue a green economy. The results also reveal that there
are sector-specific factors that drive the green economy: waste man­
agement sector (recycling, education, governance impact and behav­
ioural changes), agriculture sector (farm practices, climate-smart
agriculture, green finance and research and development), forestry
sector (sustainable agro-forestry initiatives, biodiversity conservation
and reports from impact evaluation and monitoring activities), the en­
ergy sector (job opportunities, carbon footprint, and energy security), as
well as, transport sector (e-mobility and health implications).
The results have implications for policy, practice and theory. The
findings of the study provide useful insights that point out the areas that
policymakers need to focus on to accelerate the transition to the green
economy. In this regard, the findings are useful at the local governance
and national levels, as well as, for emerging economies. The results also
provide additions to the knowledge on the drivers of the green economy
which can help in the implementation of various interventions, with
specific sectorial insights added. This study is among the few efforts to
provide a theory-backed investigation of the drivers of the green econ­
omy. The results reveal that the efforts to solve the green economy
problems in the waste management (or circular waste management
systems) sector must focus on the technical aspects like recycling, but
should also consider behavioural concerns, governance issues and edu­
cation in general. For the agriculture sector, stakeholders should place
emphasis on innovating farm practices, inculcating climate-smart agri­
culture techniques, sourcing funding through green finance, and struc­
turing their business models to drive employment but without research
and development, the gains may be insignificant. The forestry sector
needs to focus on driving sustainable agro-forestry and support biodi­
versity conversation but also focus on avenues to drive impact evalua­
tion and monitoring. The energy sector needs to work on avenues to
reduce its carbon footprint, and achieve energy security while also
fostering job creation, especially in the areas of climate-smart employ­
ment. The transport sector needs to invest in e-mobility and also there
should be a broader focus on reducing the health implications of harmful
pollutants through fiscal and monetary policy at the disposal of the
government.
We recommend the development of a comprehensive national policy
on the green economy which should be shaped annually in line with
broader sustainable and climate-related development. The current
Ghana Compact which is still under development needs to be consulta­
tive with a more critical focus on the milestones and also there should be
efforts to get the executive buy-in to foster implementation in the near
future. Moreover, we call for the promotion of government, academia,
private sector and civil society-driven Communities of Practice like the
Ghana Climate Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Com­
munity of Practice, which has been leading various educational and
peer-to-peer learning efforts of climate change and the green economy.
Future researchers to explore the developments in Ghana regarding the
Ghana Carbon Registry, Ghana’s Carbon Market Office and the VERRA
registry, as well as the challenges and prospects for driving a green
economy in Ghana. Future studies can also build hypotheses in line with
a quantitative approach to study how public and private sector players
are driving the green economy to produce results that can be generalised
across sectors.
S. Akalibey et al.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Scholastica Akalibey: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation,
Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review
& editing. Albert Ahenkan: Conceptualization, Writing – review &
editing, Supervision. King Carl Tornam Duho: Conceptualization,
Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing –
original draft, Writing – review & editing, Visualization, Supervision.
Theophilus Maloreh-Nyamekye: Conceptualization, Writing – review
& editing, Supervision. Jiri Schneider: Supervision.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Data availability
Data will be made available on request.
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the support of the Editor and the constructive
feedback of the three anonymous referees. Earlier versions of this article
were presented at the What Works Global Summit 2022, 18–20 October,
as well as, Development Studies Association (DSA) Ireland, Annual
Conference 2022, 16–17 November. There was also a presentation as
part of the Dataking Seminar Series, as well as, the Meeting of Climate
Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Community of Practice
(CoP), Ghana in 2023. We appreciate the support of Stephen Asare
Abankwah for proofreading the revised version of the manuscript.
Appendix A. Unstructured Interview Guide
1. What is compelling or driving Ghana to transition from a carbon-
based economy to a green economy?
2. Do you have any idea about the key sectors that are to transition
in the green agenda in Ghana?
3. What role are you playing as a sector to help make the transition
possible or successful?
4. So far what effort have you made as a sector towards the green
transition agenda in Ghana?
5. Are there any policies in place to enable the green transition
agenda?
6. Do you have any sector-specific policy or strategy that is driving
the green agenda in your sector?
7. How are these policies supporting the transition to a green
economy?
8. To what extent has the implementation of these policies been
successful?
9. What challenges (general) are associated with going green in this
sector?
10. What are the future expectations (prospects) of this sector to be
able to successfully transition to a green economy?
11. What enabling factors do you think can influence the transition of
Ghana to a green economy?
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