The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a US$1.5 million grant to assist Ghana’s renewable energy investment drive.
The money, which is sourced from the bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), will support government’s efforts to overcome technical, financial, regulatory and institutional barriers to renewable energy growth, and scale-up renewable energy investments across Ghana.
AfDB’s Director of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Ousseynou Nakoulima told the Goldstreet Business at the opening ceremony of the 4th Ghana Renewable Energy Fair in Accra, that, the fund will bridge the existing gaps within the country’s renewable energy regulatory framework.
“The African Development Bank’s intervention will address the identified barriers and strengthen Ghana’s enabling environment to open up more private sector investments in renewable energy projects,” he said.
Ousseynou Nakoulima disclosed though Ghana has maintained some leadership with regard to renewable energy utilization, a lot more is left to achieve.
“The AfDB is aware of the significant strides and Ghana’s leadership in electricity access which stands at 80 percent, being one of the highest in the sub-region. For areas without access, the AfDB acknowledges the off-grid and mini-solutions that is being currently developed,” he noted.
The Fund/Project
The project, which is part of the AfDB-led Climate Investment Fund (CIF) and the Scaling-up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP) Investment Plan for Ghana, is expected to complement the bank’s effort in the Ghana Energy Development and Access Programme (GEDAP).
The SEFA grant will fund two broad components: the technical/commercial/regulatory and feasibility studies, aimed at providing detailed renewable energy resource studies, grid integration studies and regulatory texts, as well as resources and public sector skills and capacity development.
About SEFA
Launched in 2012, SEFA is a US$90 million multi-donor facility funded by the governments of Denmark, the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy.
It supports the sustainable energy agenda in Africa through grants to facilitate the preparation of medium-scale renewable energy generation and energy efficiency projects.
The fund focuses on equity investments to bridge the financing gap for small- and medium-scale renewable energy generation projects as well as the provision of support to the public sector on private investments in renewable energy resources.
SEFA is hosted by the Renewable Energy Department of the African Development Bank.
The Ghana Renewable Energy Fair
The Ghana Renewable Energy Fair serves as the most prominent platform for the dissemination of information on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The conference in the past four years, had enhanced consultation between academia, government representatives, decision makers, private sector operators, project financiers and consumers.
It also informs the broad populace about the latest renewable energy and energy efficiency policies, technology, innovation and future prospects in the industry.
By Wisdom Jonny-Nuekpe
