Ghana’s future energy will be anchored on a pathway towards carbon-neutrality – Energy Minister

Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh says Ghana remains committed to a clean energy sector within the context of its energy transition framework.

Contributing to a panel discussion on the energy sector at the opening session of the UK-Africa Industrial Decarbonization Ministerial Tour on Monday, July 17, 2023, Dr. Prempeh said that Ghana has made great strides in developing a transition framework that will ensure a just and equitable transition towards achieving net-zero.

According to the minister, Ghana has also made significant progress in advancing its national energy policy. This is supported by the Ministry of Energy’s vision for a clean power sector and is also underpinned by efforts to provide universal access to electricity by 2024, which currently stands at 88.85%, as well as increasing the installed capacity of modern renewable energy in the energy mix to 10% by 2030.

The minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, indicated that the country’s energy transition framework is being implemented to the fullest. “Our energy transition framework, around which some of these bold decisions revolve, has been developed to provide a clear blueprint towards achieving net-zero in a just and equitable manner, which provides a firm basis for the judicious exploitation of our other God-given energy resources.”

The minister emphasized that the framework is being developed into an investor-friendly one, as it provides key opportunities for strategic investment.

According to the minister, Ghana’s economy will be fuelled largely by electricity, with a future electricity demand modelled at 380,000 GWh and a corresponding installed generation capacity of 83 GW by 2070. “An estimated 200 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions will be saved,” he said.

He further stated that Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement has been revised and presented at COP26, with new targets in key sectors of the economy. The emission reduction target, he said, stands at 68 million tons of CO2.

He called for massive investment in Ghana’s energy sector, reiterating efforts to convert the energy transition framework into an investor-friendly one.

The UK-Africa Industrial Decarbonization roadshow will continue in Edinburgh, Leeds, and Newcastle in the coming days in July, with the aim of bringing issues on the subject to the forefront for discussion.