Ghana: Next NDC Gov’t To Provide Energy Infrastructure For Accelerated Economic Growth

A former Ghana’s Minister for Energy and Petroleum under the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC), Emmanuel Kofi Buah, has assured Ghanaians that should his party assume office in January 2021, they would undertake accelerated infrastructural development in the energy sector to ensure speedy economic growth.

Speaking during the ‘Energy Manifesto Town Hall’ organised by the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) and its partners in the energy sector, Mr. Buah said the NDC would partner the private sector and strengthen BOST to reduce the cost of fuel for consumers, ensure product availability and increase reserves on annually.

Touching on the problems of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), the former Energy Minister noted that the problem includes governmental involvement, managerial difficulties and lack of the right investments.
To resolve these, he said the NDC has practical steps to involve workers of the facility in decision making to ensure its smooth operations.

This, he stressed, would ensure efficient operation, add value and restore the facility to become a viable venture.

Commenting on how to resolve challenges in the pre-mix sector, the former Energy Minister said they would revert to the use of the Landing Beach Committees (BDC) which ensured reliable and equitable supply chain in the fishing industry.

“The story today is different. It is political appointees who are managing pre-mix. This is exactly the reason why fishermen are not getting this very critical product, and so, we are going to
change that. The implements they need, the outboard motors and other important implements are something will get,” he assured.

With reference to the LPG, Mr. Buah was of the view that the flaring of gas at the Atuabo Gas they undertook in their time, reduced LPG importation by 50 percent.

“So, the NDC will expand the facility to increase basic domestic production of the product.

“Additionally, the NDC intends as a policy, to aggressively promote the LPG as preferred fuel for cooking with the expansion of production of cylinders.

“With the cylinder re-circulation and all the issues around it, the NDC is coming to power with clear interest of Ghanaians at heart. Our intention is to basically bring LPG recirculation but not to collapse business. We are going to work with them,” he explained.

With reference to the upstream sector, he observed that the NDC would ensure that there would be quantum leap in the industry “s that Ghana reaches the one million barrels daily to feed the petrochemical industry.

“The NDC promises to support the private sector in the industry and invest in the Volta Basins and other basins in the country to ensure added value chain in the sector.”

Outlining prospects in the power sector, the former Deputy Minister Energy, John Jinapor stated that should the NDC win power, the whole country is set to get power by 2025, instead of the 2030 target by the NPP.

“We also want to ensure that we increase generational capacity to meet demand. We cannot afford to go back to load shedding. And so, we would also work on transmission sector. When we were in office, we did a lot of upgrading. We moved the lines from 161 to 330. We even got GRIDCo on their own balance sheet,” Mr Jinapor observed.

Source:www.energynewsafrica.com