Residents of Apese, a farming community within the Agomeda Electoral Area in the Shai-Osudoku District in the Greater Accra Region of the Republic of Ghana are begging the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to make the acquisition of meter more affordable for pro-poor communities like theirs.
It costs an applicant at Apese GHc400 to procure a meter from the ECG, and considering the low income level of the people, they would rather the ECG beat the cost down to GHc250 to enable all the about 100 residents in the village get connected to the national grid.
Isaac Nartey, an elderly man at Apese, told energynews.com at the village on Sunday that the former Assemblyman for the Agomeda Electoral Area, Dennis Nartey, in mid 2018, began the meter procurement processes for the village.
“At our first meeting with some personnel from the ECG, we were told that it would cost each applicant GHc250 to acquire a meter. However, we were told that if we delayed in the payment and the PDS took over in 2019, the cost would increase to GHc400.
“In fact, this is a poor community and so we could not raise the initial GHc250. So last year, the Dodowa District Manager of ECG came here and told us the new cost for a meter and drawing of lines to our homes is GHc400 per applicant, and this is too much for us at Apese,” Isaac Nartey explained.
Only 10 people among the 100 residents have borrowed money from other sources to pay the GHc400 to get the new ECG meter to see the first light lit at Apese.
“We want the government to capture us under its rural electrification project, or it asks the ECG to consider our income level and reduce the cost drastically for us. We want electricity too,” Mr Nartey pleaded.
At Agomeda where energynewsafrica.com met Dennis Nartey, the former Assemblyman for the Electoral Area, on the matter, he corroborated the stance of the people of Apese.
“When I began the process for the people and the cost later changed, I contacted the DCE and MP to intervene but the ECG did not soften its stance. And so like the community elder told you, only 10 people have struggled to raise the GHc400, but I wish the ECG could consider the low-level income of my people to give them electricity,” he also pleaded.
Noah Osabutey, the incumbent Assemblyman for Agomeda Electoral Area, told energynewsafrica.com that he was sad such a pro-poor community like Apese would be charged GHc400 each for a meter acquisition.
The applicants that could pay the GHc400 but were unable to pay a GHc50 service charged by personnel from the Energy Commission for inspection of wiring have their faith hanging.
“They will not be connected until they are able to pay the Energy Commission’s service charge before their house wirings would be inspected before connecting them to the national grid,” Mr Osabutey said.
The ECG would be at Apese next Monday to connect all the applicants who had completed all payments.
Until then, the residents of Apese would have to endure their daily traveling to Agomeda, about three kilometers away, to charge their cell phones and view their cherished television programmes.
But, Noah Osabutey said he was looking forward to receiving handing over notes from his predecessor to interrogate the Apese electrification project.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Speaking to the media after inspecting the project on Friday, Ghana’s Energy Minister John-Peter Amewu expressed satisfaction on the progress of work.
He said what the seat of government had done is a demonstration of the government’s commitment towards incorporating renewable energy into Ghana’s energy mix.
“Having visited the site, I am very much impressed about progress on site. This work is part of the government’s agenda towards inclusion of renewable energy in our energy mix. As a government, we believe in the importance of renewable. We have a target of ten percent as a proportion of our energy mix within 2020. Already, we are behind that schedule. The President did promise in his last State of the Nation Address to Ghanaians that the Jubilee House is going to be fed on renewable. I am encouraging the contractors to go ahead with the speed at which they are going about this project,” Peter Amewu said.
He, however, expressed optimism that the country would gradually get to that state in the future, given the number of renewable projects that is yet to commence.
He mentioned the 45kW Tsatsadu mini hydro power project in the Volta Region, which is expected to be commissioned, and the 17MW solar power project at Kaleo, which President Akufo-Addo would be cutting sod to commence on Tuesday.
The Minister of Energy was accompanied by his deputy Hon. Joseph Cudjoe, Mr. Wisdom Ahiataku-Togobo; Director for Renewables and Alternative Energies, Benjamin Asante; Director of Upstream at the Ministry of Energy, Ing. Seth Mahu; Deputy Director for Renewables and Alternative Energies, Lawrence Apaalse, Chief Director at the Ministry and Rev. Ing. Oscar Amonoo, Executive Secretary of Energy Commission.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
