Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa shared Ghana’s progress in tackling energy poverty at the recent Paris Peace Forum, presenting the nation as an African leader in meeting Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7).
Mr. Okudzeto-Ablakwa highlighted Ghana’s impressive home-grown solutions and international partnerships, including the Global Energy Alliance, Sollar Alliance, and Better Planet Initiative, as key factors in this success. Ghana’s national electricity coverage currently stands at 89.03\%, with 98\% penetration in urban areas and 77\% in rural communities.
The minister contrasted Ghana’s achievements with the broader crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 85\% of the world’s 645 million people without electricity reside, citing the Democratic Republic of Congo’s low 21\% national coverage as a stark example.
Mr. Okudzeto-Ablakwa confirmed that Ghana is firmly on track to achieve 100\% electricity coverage by 2030. Furthermore, Ghana is committed to crucial climate change investments aimed at boosting its renewable energy capacity from the current 4\% to 10\% by the same year, alongside the distribution of one million additional clean cookstoves.
The Mahama administration views universal access to clean, affordable, and sustainable energy not merely as an infrastructure goal but as a fundamental matter of human dignity and a vital catalyst for nationwide economic transformation and job creation.
Ruth Abla ADJLORLOLO
