The government is to create a Rural Electricity Agency (REA) under the Ministry of Energy charged with the responsibility of connecting all rural communities in the country to the national electricity grid by the year 2020.
The move would not only quicken the pace of Rural Electrification Programme (REP) but also attract investment at the rural community level and promote the establishment of small-scale business enterprises and cottage industries among others.
Professor Abeeku Brew Hammond, Chairman of Energy commission, the hint when he led a ten Member Team made of Members of the Commission and personnel from the Ministry of energy to pay a courtesy call on the Upper West regional Minister at his office here on Monday.
The commissioners are on a three-day working visit to the Region to get acquainted with the energy situation and to make appropriate recommendations to enhance efficiency and effective energy delivery.
During the period, the Chairman and his team would hold an in house discussion with personnel of the Northern electricity Department (NED of the Volta River Authority (VRA), visit Nadowli, Jirapa, Lawra and Sissala West districts and take briefings from District Chief Executives on the energy needs of the people, among others.
Professor Hammond said the commission was working towards meeting government’s target of providing 5,000 mega watts of additional energy by 2015.
He said the commission was also working towards the use of renewable energy especially solar energy as alternative to hydro and thermal.
In this connection Professor Hammond said the commission had recommended the passage of appropriate renewable energy law to govern the operations of renewable energy activities in the country.
The Chairman of the commission said the peopled of the region stood to benefit from renewable energy and urged the people to get themselves in readiness for the programme.
The Upper West regional Minister, Mr. Mahmud Khalid briefing members of the commission said the region had only 17 per cent coverage of electricity and called for more efforts to connect more communities to the national electricity grid.
Mr. Khalid called for the upgrading of the power supply to the region saying some transformers are too loaded and cannot take more load.
He called for a policy shift whereby central government would take over the purchase of low tension poles from District assemblies to quicken the pace of connecting more rural communities to the national electricity grid since the various assemblies are saddened with numerous development challenges.
Mr. Khalid said the Wa East District capital Funsi, was the only district capital in the region not connected to the national grid and that plans are a foot to connect the area to electricity to enhance productivity at the work place and boost business and commerce.
He said plans were also underway to extend electricity to the Lassie Tuollu Senior High School in the Wa West District to enhance academic work.
The Regional Minister called for the decentralization of the award of contracts on rural electrification projects to enhance effective monitoring and supervision to ensure value for money.
He said the award of such projects from Accra with recourse to Regional Ministers and district Chief Executives made them powerless to supervise contractors since such contractors fell they were answerable to only Accra.
The move would not only quicken the pace of Rural Electrification Programme (REP) but also attract investment at the rural community level and promote the establishment of small-scale business enterprises and cottage industries among others.
Professor Abeeku Brew Hammond, Chairman of Energy commission, the hint when he led a ten Member Team made of Members of the Commission and personnel from the Ministry of energy to pay a courtesy call on the Upper West regional Minister at his office here on Monday.
The commissioners are on a three-day working visit to the Region to get acquainted with the energy situation and to make appropriate recommendations to enhance efficiency and effective energy delivery.
During the period, the Chairman and his team would hold an in house discussion with personnel of the Northern electricity Department (NED of the Volta River Authority (VRA), visit Nadowli, Jirapa, Lawra and Sissala West districts and take briefings from District Chief Executives on the energy needs of the people, among others.
Professor Hammond said the commission was working towards meeting government’s target of providing 5,000 mega watts of additional energy by 2015.
He said the commission was also working towards the use of renewable energy especially solar energy as alternative to hydro and thermal.
In this connection Professor Hammond said the commission had recommended the passage of appropriate renewable energy law to govern the operations of renewable energy activities in the country.
The Chairman of the commission said the peopled of the region stood to benefit from renewable energy and urged the people to get themselves in readiness for the programme.
The Upper West regional Minister, Mr. Mahmud Khalid briefing members of the commission said the region had only 17 per cent coverage of electricity and called for more efforts to connect more communities to the national electricity grid.
Mr. Khalid called for the upgrading of the power supply to the region saying some transformers are too loaded and cannot take more load.
He called for a policy shift whereby central government would take over the purchase of low tension poles from District assemblies to quicken the pace of connecting more rural communities to the national electricity grid since the various assemblies are saddened with numerous development challenges.
Mr. Khalid said the Wa East District capital Funsi, was the only district capital in the region not connected to the national grid and that plans are a foot to connect the area to electricity to enhance productivity at the work place and boost business and commerce.
He said plans were also underway to extend electricity to the Lassie Tuollu Senior High School in the Wa West District to enhance academic work.
The Regional Minister called for the decentralization of the award of contracts on rural electrification projects to enhance effective monitoring and supervision to ensure value for money.
He said the award of such projects from Accra with recourse to Regional Ministers and district Chief Executives made them powerless to supervise contractors since such contractors fell they were answerable to only Accra.
