Ghana to achieve universal access to electricity by 2016 – President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama, on Wednesday said the nation is aiming at achieving universal access to electricity and energy by 2016.

“This will be done by increasing power generation from the present 2,443 megawatts to around 5,000 megawatts in that time span.”

President Mahama said this in a speech read on his behalf during the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting towards sustainable energy for all in West Africa in Accra.

He said government intends to make full use of the recently found gas resources to produce the energy required for the nation.

“It is only through cooperation, sharing and the pooling of our combined intellectual property, assisted to a large extent by the commitment of our private sectors that a new down of a better quality life will break on our peoples,” President Mahama said.

He said Ghana hope to bring on stream the Bui Hydro Electricity Dam that would complement the national output by 400 megawatts by the end of the first quarter of next year.

Mr Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, President of the ECOWAS Commission said sustainable energy is one of the key factors underling sustainable development in West Africa.

He said the over the past years ECOWAS member states had acted vigorously in the field of energy, notably by constructing the West Africa Gas pipeline in the rural and peri-urban areas, and also creating the West Africa Power Pool.

Mr Ouedraogo said it is the aim of ECOWAS to increase the use of renewable energy by 2030, with around 48 per cent of the overall electricity mix generated by large hydro, small hydro, and bio-energy, solar and wind energy.

Source: GNA