Ghana: ECOWAS Commission Launches ROGEAP In Accra
The ECOWAS Commission on Monday launched its Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP) in Accra, capital of Ghana to raise awareness about the $333.3 million funding available for private sector players in the renewable energy space.
The project is funded by World Bank, with co-financing from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and Directorate General of International Cooperation (DGIS) of the Government of the Netherlands.
It is intended to increase electricity access of households, businesses, and public institutions using modern stand-alone solar technology through a harmonised regional approach.
Ghana’s Minister for Energy Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh in a speech read for him the by the Deputy Director for Power In-Charge of Renewable Energy at the Ministry of Energy, Ing. Seth Mahu lamented that half of the 400 Million ECOWAS population do not have access to electricity which therefore, makes the off-grid electricity project very important.
According to him, it is highly significant that members within the West African States streamline policies upgrade their human resource capital, business models, financing and other critical ingredients in order to scale up off-grid electrification in the West African sub-region.
According to the Energy Minister, the International Energy Agency (IEA) identifies the off-grid sector as one of the critical strategies to accelerate electrification projects to achieve UN SDG7, adding that it is therefore imperative that ECOWAS creates the right policy and regulatory incentives, remove policy barriers, and provide market incentives to unlock development financing and private sector capital for rapid investment in the off-grid electrification agenda with a multi-tier perspective.
“Decisive, smart and timely solutions are needed if we must avoid missing the SDG7 target.
“We need home-grown solutions and partnership to develop the off-grid electrification market. I therefore applaud the World Bank, the Climate Technology Fund, the Netherlands Government for showing commitment and leadership in this regard”, he emphasized.
For ROGEAP to succeed, Dr. Opoku Prempeh also suggested that ECOWAS needs strong social and political commitment as members assuring that Ghana is ready to lead urging them to collectively to remove trade barriers including those within the ECOWAS Common External Tariff Agreement so that they can create the market and economy of scale to drive down prices of off-grid renewable energy electrification solutions.
As a leading example in the sub- region, the Energy Minister said Ghana has over 88.8% electricity access now and aims to cover the entire country by 2024.
Touching on efforts Ghana is making in the area of mini-grid, Dr. Opoku Prempeh said the country is targeting the construction of some 200 mini grids by the end of this decade.
Five min-grids are in operation, three under construction, and thirty-five under procurement funding from the World Bank, the Swiss Government, the African Development Bank, the Climate Investment Fund and the Government of Ghana.
The Coordinator of ROGEAP, Sylla El Hadji, described the project as a game-changer in the provision of electricity to hard-to-reach communities in Africa.
He urged the beneficiary countries to work together to ensure the effective implementation of the project to benefit their citizens.
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com
Oil Prices Retreat As OPEC+ Cuts Another 684KBPD, Brazil Joins OPEC+
Oil prices began to retreat on Thursday afternoon as it became clear that OPEC+ members were agreeing to voluntary cuts beginning in the new year, and that those cuts would be announced only by each member country instead of by the group as a whole.
OPEC+ announced during the full OPEC+ meeting on Thursday that because all the cuts agreed were voluntary, they would be announced not by the group, but by the individual member states.
Immediately following the meeting’s kickoff, it was also announced that Brazil would join the OPEC+ group effective in January.
Three weeks ago, OPEC’s Secretary General HE Haitham al-Ghais said that the group’s door was open should Brazil wish to join. Brazil has a goal of substantially increasing its crude oil production to become the world’s fourth-largest producer by 2030.
In September, Brazil exported $3.92 billion in crude oil, while importing $681 million, according to Observatory of Economic Complexity data. This level of exports is a 13% increase year over year, with China as the primary destination.
Brent crude oil prices, which had been trading up around 1.5% during the JMMC meeting, sank to +0.16% on the day in the absence of an announced production strategy from the group’s leadership. WTI slipped into the red with a loss of 3.43% on the day following the full meeting.
The specifics of what was agreed to for the first quarter of 2024 among the OPEC+ members:
- Algeria agreed to cut oil production by another 51,000 bpd
- Kazakhstan agreed to reduce oil output by an additional 82,000 bpd
- Saudi Arabia agreed to extend its 1 million bpd output cut
- Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that it would deepen voluntary oil export cuts by 300,000 bpd, and said it would roll over the existing 500,000 bpd vountary production cuts
- Oman will cut another 42,000 bpd
- Iraq will voluntarily cut 211,000 bpd
- Kuwait will cut 135,000 bpd
- The UAE will cut 163,000 bpd
Nigeria: Kaduna Electric Apprehends Man For Stealing Power
Kaduna Electric, one of the power distribution companies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria has apprehended a man for allegedly stealing electricity.
According to the power distributor, the suspect one Opafola Abiodun of No. 18 Mopa Road, was apprehended during a night operation.
A statement signed by the Head Corporate communications of the company, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, on Thursday, November 30, 2023, alleged that Abiodun had been tapping electricity from the 11KV Leventis Feeder and was caught in an external by-pass on meter number 04190482713.
Opafola was disconnected from the power supply on Sept. 28, and charged ₦104,823.
“Surveillance personnel on a routine monitoring operation caught him red-handed on November 24; prompt action was taken, and the matter was reported to the police, leading to his arrest.
“The case is currently under the jurisdiction of Kaduna Electric’s security unit, preparing for prosecution.
“In response to the repeated offences, a second charge of ₦92,774.39 has been booked against the accused.
It stated that the incidence underscored Kaduna Electric’s unwavering commitment to contending illegal activities within its service area and ensuring a fair and lawful distribution of electricity to all customers.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Kenya: Geothermal Development Company Signs Deal To Supply Cement Factory With Steam
Kenya’s Geothermal Development Company (GDC) has signed a 20-year deal to supply a cement manufacturing company with steam for use in running its operations.
GDC and Karsan Ramji & Sons Limited, manufacturers of Ndovu Cement, inked the deal on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.
GDC will provide Karsan Ramji with 40 tons per hour of geothermal steam to be used for power generation and the heat to dry during cement production.
This is the first of its kind agreement in Kenya where an industrialist is seeking to generate own geothermal power for the manufacturing process.
It is estimated that in such an arrangement between corporates can dramatically cut the cost of production.
According to GDC Chief Executive Officer Paul Ngugi, the deal marks a significant milestone in the history of energy, especially geothermal.
Ngugi noted that the direct use of geothermal energy is a versatile area that has well been demonstrated in the Menengai steam wells.
At Menengai, Ngugi said there is direct-use projects in heating greenhouses and aqua ponds, milk pasteurisation, and even in drying of cereals.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, GDC Managing Director and CEO Paul Ngugi said this marks a departure from the conventional power generation into a promising realm of captive power and thermal heat.
“Indeed, it is refreshing to see new investments made with energy as a key plank. Such investments will not only, in the long run, help to cut the cost of energy, they will make our products and services competitive and attractive. Investment of this nature will create direct and indirect job opportunities that our country so desperately yearns,” said Mr. Ngugi.
“We are happy that Karsan Ramji found it fit to become part of the geothermal community. The investment they are going to make in this project is a vote of confidence on geothermal energy as a baseload, its affordability, and green credentials. This model is the future of geothermal. We are optimistic that more investors will find value by emulating this approach.”
“As part of our market expansion strategy, we plan to construct our second cement grinding plant in Nakuru that will also have a separate raw material drying plant,” said Kishor Varsani, the CEO of Karsan Ramji & Sons Limited.
The factory will have a capacity of producing between 600 and 800 tonnes of cement per day and will directly employ approximately 120 people and over 1,500 indirectly.
Varsani said at Ndovu Cement, they have a strong commitment to the environment, and in 2021 made a strategic decision to gradually wean off fossil fuel and embrace renewable forms of energy in their operations.
“Our target is to have 100 percent of the energy requirements in all of our facilities being met by renewable energy sources by the year 2040. It is in this spirit that we have chosen to partner with GDC for our energy requirements,” he said.
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Torentco Pulls Out Of TOR Partnership Deal; Fingers Opoku Prempeh
After several weeks of being the subject of discussion in the Ghanaian media space over its planned partnership deal with state-owned Tema Oil Refinery, the embattled private entity, Tema Energy and Processing Limited, formerly Torentco Assets Management Limited has shockingly announced its withdrawal from the partnership.
The firm did not walk out of the proposed partnership without letting Ghanaians know who is behind their troubles as they pointed accusing fingers at the country’s Minister for Energy Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as the person behind their troubles.
In a statement by the Board of Tema Energy and Processing Limited which narrated how they became part of the entities that submitted proposals for selection as a strategic partner for the revamping of ailing Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), it said the leadership of General Transport Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) approached their partner in the person of Mr Asante Berko, a former Managing Director of the refinery, to assist to revive the refinery since it was sinking.
The TEPL Board said when the current TOR Board was constituted there were two proposals and alleged that the Minister wanted the TOR management and Board to work with the proposal from the two and not them.
“The Minister of Energy who was expecting the other 2 proposals to be rubber stamped, formally wrote to the board to suspend looking at other proposals and bring everything to his office for approval,” TEPL Board said.
It added that “the pace at which we had moved we suspect has unnerved people and right on cue has led to a wave of recent attacks.”
“We always suspected that the Minister of Energy was using the leadership of GTPWU as his “umkhonto ithiphu”(it means spearhead an attack or campaign in Zulu language)but it is shocking that venerable institutions such as the Attorney General’s office and OSP can be pulled into it,” TEPL stated.
“Fighting the state to do a complex transaction that revolves around reviving a moribund asset is tiring and unfortunately we are no longer interested. We wish you luck in pursuing the process with one of the many lucrative offers.
“As to the question of whether we lacked capacity, all one had to do was wait for us to perform within the 60 days windows and their fears would have been confirmed, alas, I suspect they were afraid of the answer and so could not take a chance,” the statement asserted.
Troubling as it was, your management approached transaction counsel to do a due diligence report on the shell company knowing very well and ignoring the deal structure was not complete and then passing out the draft report to unauthorized individuals for the sole aim of misrepresenting what our proposal was. If we did not have intimate knowledge of your balance sheet this among other breaches of the NDA we have signed and will warrant a lawsuit, the board said.
The statement continued that “It was not lost on us that the moment we concluded in signing the key bloc of the transaction, which was a Processing Agreement, the first scale of media attacks started, with all sort of wild accusations. Journalists started calling to accuse us of doing a “bad deal” which after a minute of discussion realized that they knew nothing of what they spoke of.”
“We advised the management and Board to treat our proposal as an academic exercise and do what the Minister wants but to the credit of Jerry Hinson he wanted to discharge his duties (then) with the level of seriousness that it deserved,” TEPL said in their letter to the acting Managing Director of TOR Daniel Osei Appiah.
Recently, General Transport Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate TOR -Torentco transaction because it lacks transparency.
The Union also noted that the company in question lacks competence and finance capacity to enter into lease agreement with TOR.
In response to the petition, the Special Prosecutor directed Management of TOR to suspend the transaction noting that it has commenced investigation into the deal.
Few days afterwards, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame, also in a letter made a damming opinion on the deal stating the compact lacks competence and financial capacity to take over the running of the state owned refinery.
His opinion was based on due diligence report on the deal commissioned by management of TOR.
“From the DDR, TAML has no financial and technical capacity to undertake the proposed transaction.”
“TAML has no established affiliation with Vitol or with any other company, which has the needed funds and technical capacity to undertake the Proposed Lease Transaction and without whose support TAML lacks the financial and technical capacity to undertake its obligation under the Proposed Lease Transaction,” it stated.
The Ministry further indicated that the TAML lacked the requisite licenses and documentation to undertake the proposed lease transaction, proceeding with the project would therefore be contrary to the law.
Below are letters from OSP, Attorney-General and Tema Energy and Processing Limited.
TERMINATION LETTER TOR-2_231129_165025
Attorney General Letter-TOR-15 Nov 2023
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Powering To Empower- How Clean Energy Is Driving Development In Rural Ghana (Article)
In the heart of Bui, a small town located in the Bono Region of Ghana, the Bui Power Authority’s Hydro-Solar Hybrid plant has made significant strides in revolutionizing the energy landscape and propelling local industries forward sustainably.
Ghana, like many African nations, has long grappled with energy access and reliability issues, hindering industrialization in both urban and rural communities. Between late 2012 and 2016, Ghana experienced a severe electricity crisis called “Dumsor”.
This crisis was caused by a drought from the Volta lake that threatened electricity production from the Akosombo dam; Ghana’s largest energy generating station. The crisis triggered a severe power rationing program resulting in heavy load shedding throughout the country. At the height of this crisis, consumers faced at least 16-hour power cuts within every 24-hour period.
Although the country has made significant strides in increasing electricity access to 86% – ranking 1st in Sub-Saharan Africa – the reliability and affordability of power remain ongoing challenges and Ghana still faces persistent power supply challenges.
To address these shortfalls, the Government of Ghana introduced policy interventions in 2019 aimed at boosting the utilization of renewable energy and fulfilling its commitments to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7). The key of these interventions was the Government’s Renewable Energy Master plan, which sought to among others, increase the proportion of renewable energy in the national energy generation mix from 42.5 MW in 2015 to 1,363.63 MW by 2030.
Through this, Ghana integrated some renewable energy solutions into its national grid which also includes a Hydro-Solar Hybrid (HSH) plant at Banda in the Bui enclave. This HSH plant, managed by the Bui Power Authority, has a hydro capacity of 404MW and a solar capacity of 55MW. The plant makes use of Huawei’s Smart Photovoltaic (PV) Solution to fuel the national grid which supports communities, factories, enterprises and small-scale businesses of over 24,000 locals in the Banda community.
The locals, whose primary occupation is cashew and sugarcane farming, rely heavily on the energy produced to operate the machinery required for planting, harvesting, and processing of these raw materials into valuable end products, such as sugar and cashew oil.
Among these is a Cashew Nut Processing Factory located within the Bui enclave called Bui Cash-U Factory. Covering an expansive area of about 2000 m2, the factory currently, employs about 150 people to processes between 6 to 8 tons of cashews daily. Beyond providing employment opportunities, the factory also focuses on equipping locals of the Bono Region in the cashew nut value chain business.
“Through this factory, I have learnt to how to plant, harvest and select the best cashew for processing”, said Afeke, a worker at the factory. She further indicated that factory provides a stable and better source of income as compared to her previous seasonal job.
Cashew holds significant importance for Ghana, especially in terms of foreign exchange revenue. According to a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report, the country was the world’s largest exporter of cashews in 2021 earning over $128.70 million from cashew nut exports in the first quarter.
As home to 10 active cashew processing plants, Ghana has the capacity to process 65,000 tons of raw cashews annually. The country’s cashew industry currently employs over 800,000 people directly and indirectly across the cashew supply chain, including farmers, factory workers, buyers, and exporters.
Huawei’s Smart PV Solution extends beyond power generation. By collaborating with Meinergy, the owner of the cashew factory and the Bui Power Authority, the company seeks to provide industrial training for 800 locals in the cashew nut value chain business.
Speaking on the subject matter, the First Lady of Ghana, H.E Rebecca Akufo-Addo indicated that, her office remains committed to working closely with industry partners and Huawei, to help bridge the gender divide and transform the lives of Ghanaians.
According to her, “the world is going green and projects such as the Hydro-Solar Hybrid plant fueling activities of a huge cashew factory at a rural town, is an indication that Ghana is on the right path towards the realization of a sustainable and eco-friendly digital future.”
In harnessing the power of renewable energy, this initiative does not only address the nation’s energy challenges but also paves the way for economic growth, bringing hope to rural communities and empowering them for a brighter future.
References
As home to 10 active cashew processing plants, Ghana has the capacity to process 65,000 tons of raw cashews annually. The country’s cashew industry currently employs over 800,000 people directly and indirectly across the cashew supply chain, including farmers, factory workers, buyers, and exporters.
Huawei’s Smart PV Solution extends beyond power generation. By collaborating with Meinergy, the owner of the cashew factory and the Bui Power Authority, the company seeks to provide industrial training for 800 locals in the cashew nut value chain business.
Speaking on the subject matter, the First Lady of Ghana, H.E Rebecca Akufo-Addo indicated that, her office remains committed to working closely with industry partners and Huawei, to help bridge the gender divide and transform the lives of Ghanaians.
According to her, “the world is going green and projects such as the Hydro-Solar Hybrid plant fueling activities of a huge cashew factory at a rural town, is an indication that Ghana is on the right path towards the realization of a sustainable and eco-friendly digital future.”
In harnessing the power of renewable energy, this initiative does not only address the nation’s energy challenges but also paves the way for economic growth, bringing hope to rural communities and empowering them for a brighter future.
References
- Kupzig, N. and Ackah, C. (2023) The effect of an electricity crisis on firms – a case study of Dumsor in Ghana, SSRN.
- Cashing in on cashews: Africa must add value to its nuts (2021) UNCTAD.
Ghana: Tema ECG Embarks On Meter Replacement
The Tema Regional branch of the Electricity Company of Ghana has started a mass meter replacement project to provide customers with upgraded prepaid meters that function remotely without an intermediary.
The project seeks to replace all prepaid meters which use cards, for which credit had to be loaded onto the credit card for it to be shown swiped in the meter before the credit will be loaded for use.
The new meters, known as smart prepaid meters, work such that once customers buy the credit, it will be loaded directly unto the meter as they do not use any such cards.
Speaking on this to energynewsafrica.com, the Tema Regional Public Relations Officer for the Power Distributor, Ms. Sakyiwaa Mensah indicated that “the project will cover customers using older versions of prepaid meters within the Tema Metropolis, Prampram, Afienya, Nungua and Ashaiman areas”.
She added that these replacements do not cost the customer, even if it will include possible re-routing.
Mr. Nii Kwei Codjoe, who is the Marketing Officer for ECG Tema Region, speaking about the same program, encouraged customers to be alert and not succumb to any possible fraud issues as “unscrupulous people often call unsuspecting customers whenever such projects are being worked on, in an attempt to cause fraud”.
He stated that ECG does not accept payments on the field, adding that the organization has actually gone cashless and that all transactions must be made digitally to the organization and not physically.
It will be recalled that customers of ECG were previously using postpaid meters, which were then changed to prepaid meters.
Asked why the need to change from prepaid meters to another type of prepaid meters, the ECG Team indicated that as technology is growing and changing, the company is positioning itself to change with the tines, adding the smart prepaid meters being deployed will also bring more convenience to customers as instances of missing cards and a need to replace these cards will be a thing of the past.
The ECG Team further appealed to the general public to be receptive of their field workers, to question them if in doubt and to demand to see ID cards where necessary.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Berlin: BPA Signs MoU With Three German Institutions To Build Capacity Of Staff
Ghanaian power generation company, Bui Power Authority, has signed Memorandum of Understanding with three German institutions to build capacity of their staff for successful execution of the core mandate of BPA as Renewable Energy Leaders.
The MoUs were signed with Berlin Technical University (TU Berlin), Distance Learning Institute of the Berliner Hochschule für Technik (DLI) and SRH Berlin University of Applied Science (BST-SRH).
The MoUs were signed recently when a delegation led by the Board Chair of Bui Power Authority (BPA), Hon. Kwasi Ameyaw Cheremeh who is also a Member of Parliament for Sunyani East, paid a working visit to Berlin, Germany, to seek cooperation in the area of capacity building for the staff of the company.
Other members of the delegation include H.E. Gina Blay, Ghana’s Ambassador to Germany, Hon Samuel Kofi Ahiave Dzamesi, Chief Executive Officer of BPA, and Mr. Wisdom Ahiataku Togobo, Director of Renewables, had very fruitful discussions leading to the signing of three different agreements.
The first MoU was signed with Berlin Technical University.
Under this, BPA will collaborate with Berlin Technical University (TU Berlin), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and University of Energy of Natural Resources (UENR), as partners to implement PROREG (Professional Education for Renewable Energies in Ghana) supported by DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).
BPA technical staff seeking to pursue higher educational programs in Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy will have the opportunity to undertake academic disciplines related to the work and mandate of BPA at any of the three universities.
TU Berlin staff will also support developing practical models and appropriate research topics for BPA technical staff.
The second MoU was signed with the Distance Learning Institute of the Berliner Hochschule für Technik (DLI).
Under this MoU, both parties agreed to fully cooperate to build capacity of BPA technicians who cannot advance degree programs as well as non-technical staff working in the field of finance, procurement, communication and Energy law.
The third MoU was signed with the Berlin School of Technology of the SRH Berlin University of Applied Science (BST-SRH).
Under this agreement, BPA will cooperate with BST-SRH to promote a systematic exchange of experts and students between BPA and BST that will contribute to the development of renewable energies, through the development of academic and research activities based on the existing cooperation of the BST-SRH with KNUST and the UENR.
This partnership will promote the participation of Ghanaian students to enroll in the Master’s programs offered by the BST-SRH; and promote the participation of engineers and experts from BPA and other institutions in Ghana in the winter and summer schools offered by the BST-SRH on relevant topics in the areas of Finance, Procurement, Energy Law, Communication, Human Resource Management among others.
The delegation travelled to Rathenow to visit Sunfarming Company, where solar PV farms are integrated with agriculture, thereby providing a conducive environment for vegetable and crop farming under solar panels and for animal farming such as ducks, geese, fowls, cattle, etc.
These animals are all kept under the panel structure rather than leaving all the land space beneath the panel unutilized.
The Board Chair of BPA and CEO of BPA were very impressed to see this method of farming and agreed to cooperate with Sunfarming to set up a prototype at the Bui Generating Station.
The delegation also met with the German Ministry for Environment and Economic Affairs, where opportunities for investment in BPA were presented to them.
The German Ministry lauded BPA on its achievement in the deployment of Renewable Energy in Ghana and promised to extend support to BPA through their Development Agencies.
On his part, Hon. Samuel Kofi Ahiave Dzamesi, CEO of BPA, emphasized the need for investment support in the construction of the Western Rivers in Ghana to enable BPA take up more deployment of solar for the hybridization of Hydro Power to ensure uninterrupted generation for solar during the day and hydro at night.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
This partnership will promote the participation of Ghanaian students to enroll in the Master’s programs offered by the BST-SRH; and promote the participation of engineers and experts from BPA and other institutions in Ghana in the winter and summer schools offered by the BST-SRH on relevant topics in the areas of Finance, Procurement, Energy Law, Communication, Human Resource Management among others.
The delegation travelled to Rathenow to visit Sunfarming Company, where solar PV farms are integrated with agriculture, thereby providing a conducive environment for vegetable and crop farming under solar panels and for animal farming such as ducks, geese, fowls, cattle, etc.
These animals are all kept under the panel structure rather than leaving all the land space beneath the panel unutilized.
The Board Chair of BPA and CEO of BPA were very impressed to see this method of farming and agreed to cooperate with Sunfarming to set up a prototype at the Bui Generating Station.
The delegation also met with the German Ministry for Environment and Economic Affairs, where opportunities for investment in BPA were presented to them.
The German Ministry lauded BPA on its achievement in the deployment of Renewable Energy in Ghana and promised to extend support to BPA through their Development Agencies.
On his part, Hon. Samuel Kofi Ahiave Dzamesi, CEO of BPA, emphasized the need for investment support in the construction of the Western Rivers in Ghana to enable BPA take up more deployment of solar for the hybridization of Hydro Power to ensure uninterrupted generation for solar during the day and hydro at night.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Ghana: GOIL PLC Bags Three Communication Awards
Ghana’s largest indigenous oil marketing company, GOIL PLC, has been awarded the corporate entity with the ‘Best Use of Social Media’ for the Oil and Gas Category at the 2023 National Communications Awards, which was held, in Accra at the weekend.
The Head of Corporate Affairs of the company, Dr. Marcus Deo Dake was also awarded the ‘Exemplary Communication Professional of the Year’ while the entire team, was honored with the 2023 ‘Communications Team of the Year – Oil and Gas’ Category.
GOIL PLC is very active on Facebook, X formerly Twitter and Instagram.
Under the theme “Ghana’s Digital Economy: Emerging with Resilience,” the event, brought together a diverse assembly of stakeholders, industry experts, government officials, innovators, and thought leaders in the digitalization realm.
The National Communications Awards is a high-impact, digitalization and development communication programme developed by RAD Communications Limited, to recognize digitization across all sectors, including the Private Sector, Public Sector, Banking, FinTech, Telecoms, ICT, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Health, and all other sectors involved in digitization.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The National Communications Awards is a high-impact, digitalization and development communication programme developed by RAD Communications Limited, to recognize digitization across all sectors, including the Private Sector, Public Sector, Banking, FinTech, Telecoms, ICT, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Health, and all other sectors involved in digitization.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Ghana: GRIDCo Refurbishes Asueyi Community Daycare And KG School
The Ghana Grid Company Ltd. (GRIDCo) has rehabilitated Asueyi Community Daycare and KG school in the Techiman North District of the Bono East Region at the cost of Four Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 400,000.00).
This initiative is part of GRIDCo’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment focusing on Education Support for the areas/communities where it operates.
A statement issued by GRIDCo and copied to energynewsafrica.com explained that rehabilitation of the school commenced in June and completed in August 2023.
According to the statement, the Company’s attention was drawn to the severe deterioration of the school building and the potential hazard it posed to the young children and in line with its Core Value of “Safety,” undertook a full refurbishment of existing structures with the addition of other essential amenities.
Commenting on the rehabilitation work, Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi, the Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo, said: “Education is the foundation for a prosperous future. By providing these upgraded classrooms, GRIDCo is investing in the education and development of the young minds in Asueyi, aiming to empower them to pursue diverse career paths such as engineering, medicine, finance, administration, academia, and law, ultimately making a positive impact on their community.”
This school has been transformed into an ultramodern school, fostering a conducive environment for teaching and learning with a new play area, washrooms for pupils, and teaching staff, mechanised borehole with improved water access, renovated classrooms, walls, floors, doors, shutter and the roof and new tables and chairs, with white boards have been provided for teachers and students.
This generous donation aligns with Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on “Quality Education for all”.
GRIDCo said it anticipate positive outcomes from this support, emphasising its commitment to fulfilling Ghana’s power transmission needs while actively contributing to the country’s educational development and sustainable practices.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
This school has been transformed into an ultramodern school, fostering a conducive environment for teaching and learning with a new play area, washrooms for pupils, and teaching staff, mechanised borehole with improved water access, renovated classrooms, walls, floors, doors, shutter and the roof and new tables and chairs, with white boards have been provided for teachers and students.
This generous donation aligns with Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on “Quality Education for all”.
GRIDCo said it anticipate positive outcomes from this support, emphasising its commitment to fulfilling Ghana’s power transmission needs while actively contributing to the country’s educational development and sustainable practices.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Nigeria: Tinubu Approves Conduct Of Fresh Marginal Field Bid Round
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has approved the conduct of fresh marginal field bid round to offer for sale more oil and gas fields abandoned by the international oil companies (IOCs) which have been lying fallow for over a decade.
The new bid round is coming barely three years after about 57 marginal oilfields were put up for sale in 2020 and the process effectively concluded last year, amid many of the awardees still struggling to move to site for development of their assets due largely to funding and regulatory challenges.
Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who revealed this during a facility tour of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited’s modular refinery in Ibigwe, Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, said the bid exercise would commence “soon”.
He promised that, “marginal fields would (henceforth) be prioritized in terms of their location to those who have modular refineries, so that they will be able to produce.”
The marginal field exercise is exclusively reserved for Nigerian companies as the federal government through the policy offers opportunity to local firms to participate more actively in the country’s oil and gas exploration and production space.
It is essentially to help increase Nigeria’s oil and gas production and reserves, boost federation’s revenue, create jobs for the teeming population and contribute to the development of the host communities.
Lokpobiri, however, commended Waltersmith Group and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for supporting the federal government agenda of improving domestic refining capacity.
The Minister expressed satisfaction towards the company and NCDMB for taking the bull by the horn to commence local refining of crude and partially meeting the demand of the local.
According to him, “The quickest way to fix our energy challenge in the country should be through modular refineries, while we await the total rehabilitation of the big refineries.”
He said the 5,000-barrel per stream day Waltersmith Petroman, which has been a stable source of diesel, kerosene, naphta, and high fuel oil to the domestic market since its inauguration in 2020, was for him a proof of how beneficial such smaller processing plants could be.
Lokpobiri, expressed commendation to the NCDMB Board for taking up equity in Waltersmith Refinery which quickly facilitated the completion of the modular refinery.
While commending Waltersmith Group, the minister charged companies who had been given licences for modular refineries and marginal field licences to take cues from Waltersmith and make deliberate investments.
He stated, “If you have a marginal field, an allocation, it is a paper given to you, it doesn’t add value to you or to Nigeria, unless you take it to the next level by making the requisite investment and then adding the value that is expected.”
“What I am saying is that out of the numerous marginal fields that were allocated, only Waltersmith and a few of them have been successfully driven,” he stated, recalling that he had sounded a warning at the recent Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) event in Abuja, that marginal field allocations without the requisite investments stood the risk of being cancelled.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria Records Flat Growth As Oil Price Decline Slows
Nigeria’s economy recorded flat growth in the third quarter, as oil prices somewhat stabilized while the impact of reforms by the newly created government at boosting output were yet to have an impact.
The economy expanded by 2.54% in Q3 2023, a slight improvement from 2.51% posted in the second quarter but way below the 6% clip that President Bola Tinubu pledged during his inauguration in May.
The oil and gas sector contracted 0.85% in the third quarter, a big improvement from the 13.43% contraction recorded in the third quarter.
The sector is critical for the Nigerian economy since it accounts for 90% of foreign-exchange reserves and the bulk of government revenue.
Back in May, Tinubu scrapped a costly but popular petrol subsidy and also lifted currency controls.
But his actions have fuelled anger and frustration after inflation worsened and hit double digits. But Africa’s largest economy is not bereft of opportunities to expand the economy.
Nigeria and its African OPEC+ peer Angola have announced plans to boost oil production significantly in the coming years, something that might not go down well with other OPEC+ members as Saudi Arabia looks forward to starting to unwind its voluntary production cuts.
Nigeria’s daily average oil output stood at 1.45 million barrels per day (mbpd) in the three months to September, up from 1.20 mbpd in the same period last year.
“We are not aware of any disagreements, it is more a matter of seeking alignments,” Nigeria’s governor to OPEC Gabriel Tanimu Aduda told Reuters.
“We are happy, we are waiting for the meeting,” Angolan OPEC governor Estevao Pedro told Reuters, referring to the upcoming OPEC+ meeting which was rescheduled to Nov. 30 from Nov. 26. “We are fighting to increase our production,” he said, adding that investment was being made to make that happen.
Nigeria produces the popular Bonny Light crude, a light-sweet crude oil grade and an important benchmark crude for all West African crude production. Bonny Light has particularly good gasoline yields, which has made it a popular crude for U.S. refiners, particularly on the U.S. East Coast.
Source: Oilprice.com
Mozambique: Gov’t Approves $80 Billion Energy Transition Strategy
Mozambique has approved a strategy to reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels that it estimates will cost $80 billion to implement by 2050, a step aimed at winning finance to develop the economy.
The first steps envisioned in the Energy Transition Strategy, approved by the Council of Ministers on Nov. 21, include the addition of 2,000 megawatts of hydropower capacity by 2030 and expanding the transmission grid to allow for the addition of more renewable energy, a statement from the government said as carried by energyconnect.com.
President Filipe Nyusi is expected to make a full disclosure of the country’s energy transition plan at the COP28 international climate summit in Dubai, next month.
“Mozambique has major potential to be a global leader in climate-aligned development,” it said.
“The ambitious ETS lays out a clear pathway for harnessing these assets to enable sustainable nationwide growth while supporting emissions reductions.”
Mozambique is the latest developing country to seek international funding to finance an energy switch.
South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam and Senegal have won pledges of billions of dollars from some of the world’s richest nations to reduce their reliance on coal and other fossil fuels.
In September, Marcelina Mataveia, Mozambique’s national director of energy, said talks over funding had been held with Belgium, Germany, the UK and the United Arab Emirates, and an investment plan would be announced at the COP meeting.
While Mozambique is one of the world’s poorest nations, it has abundant hydropower, wind, solar and natural gas resources.
It also has deposits of materials essential for the green transition, such as lithium and graphite, which are used in batteries.
The government said it aims to hold more auctions to encourage the building of privately owned solar and wind power plants and build “green industrial parks” to encourage the processing of its minerals.
It also plans to increase the proportion of ethanol and biodiesel added to gasoline and diesel sold in the country, and promote the use of vehicles that run on electricity and compressed natural gas.
It aims to have universal access to electricity by 2030 and intends embarking on a drive to persuade millions of people who rely on wood and charcoal for cooking, to use more efficient methods.
Mali: WeLight Receives US$1.8Million Grants To Electrify Homes Via Solar Mini-Grids
The Foundation for Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion in Africa (CEI Africa), the Amsterdam -based organisation has awarded a grant of US$1.8 million to WeLight to electrify several rural communities in Mali using solar mini-grids.
The funds will support its electrification activities in rural areas of Mali, where WeLight has been operating since 2021.
According to CEI estimates, the grant will enable the expansion of the five solar mini-grids currently operated by the company.
At least nine new green mini-grids will be built, enough to electrify 35,000 people.
The five mini-grids installed in recent years have provided 1,000 connections in Malian villages.
The IEC’s support is “an important step, as it will enable us to reach nine more villages.
Access to electricity for productive use is vital, as it enables socio-economic development in various areas for the community”, explains Moez Zouaoui, WeLight Mali’s national coordinator.
However, “the award of the results-based grant is subject to the fulfillment of certain pre-conditions agreed between CEI Africa and WeLight, which include, among other things, the execution of a grant agreement”, says the foundation launched by Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the German development agency.
The grant will be disbursed on completion of the new electricity connections. According to the Direction nationale de l’énergie (DNE), Mali, which is benefiting from this funding, will have 53% access to electricity by 2021.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com