Accra (Greater Accra), 16 Feb. '99 -

Twelve communities in the Mamprusi East District in the Northern Region and one in the Bolgatanga District will soon have electricity from solar-powered cells at the cost of 2.5 billion cedis.

Being the first of its kind in sub-saharan Africa, the project aims at providing power to off-grid communities as a pilot effort to confirm the technical, economic, social and institutional basis for a national solar programme.

Funds for the project were provided by the government of Ghana, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under its Global Environmental Facility and the United States Department of Energy.

Mr Fred Ohene Kena, Minister of Mines and Energy, who today inaugurated a five-member board to oversee the project, said solar electricity is a good choice for non-industrial off-grid areas because it matches the needs of many household applications.

"It will adequately take care of lighting, entertainment, water pumping ,vaccine refrigeration, cottage industries and night schools."

He said the project will have well defined linkages to other priority needs of the rural communities in their economic development.

Mr Ohene Kena said it would have a direct impact on women and children in the areas of training, bore-hole mechanism, operations of solar-powered grain grinders, expanded economic productivity, dress making and enhance opportunities for education and training.

The Minister said he was optimistic that the enterprise would stimulate the emergence of international joint ventures between international equipment manufacturers and local companies, especially in local production of batteries and charge controllers.

"It is my hope that the project will look at other forms of renewable energy such as biomass and wind to complement the existing energy source since we can no longer rely on hydro-power and thermal complementation."

Mr Aboulie Janneh, UNDP resident representative, said project will seek to reduce the long-term cost of low green house gas-emitting energy technologies.

"It is envisaged that the stabilisation of green house gas will require greatly increased utilisation of renewal energy technologies."

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