The flagbearer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has committed to adding 2,000 megawatts of solar power to Ghana’s energy mix during his presidency.
Dr. Bawumia believes that the rising cost of electricity makes businesses uncompetitive, highlighting the necessity for the country to harness solar power.
He attributed the increasing cost of electricity to exchange rates and the international price of petroleum.
The NPP leader made this pledge during a meeting with clergy in the Volta Region, as part of his regional campaign tour.
According to Dr. Bawumia, Ghana’s reliance on crude oil prices and foreign exchange fluctuations for energy generation escalates the cost of living and impacts business competitiveness.
“To reduce the cost of living is to look at our power generation. Ghana currently relies a lot on oil and gas to generate power and if you look at their [oil and gas] costs, they are quite high so anytime the prices move up in the Middle East, fuel, electricity, and transport prices also move up and so I want us to move away from oil and gas to solar power. It is the key for us in the generation of electricity.
“My goal and the goal that I have stated is that in the next four years, Ghana should add 2,000 megawatts of solar power to the generation of power and that is more than half of our consumption of electricity and so combine that with Akosombo and you would nearly reduce the cost of power by nearly 50 percent and that will give our businesses a competitive advantage.”
Dr. Bawumia emphasized his vision to aggressively expand solar power over the next four years to alleviate the burden of high fuel costs on Ghanaians and businesses.
According to the International Energy Agency, in 2021, Ghana’s electricity mix was heavily dependent on natural gas (62.6%) and hydropower (34.1%), with solar power accounting for less than one percent.
Your just a comedian when ur term expires go and do family in the northern region and never come back again