Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have been charged to ensure that developers incorporate a sustainable power plan in their building documents before issuing building permits to them.

Mr Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, who made the suggestion, said no permits should be issued to people without the needed power plan for their intended building to be constructed.

Mr Vanderpuye said such a measure would ensure domestic usage of electricity was freed from the national grid to enable industries to get the needed power to work.

He said this on Thursday when he cut a sod for the construction of an ultra modern four storey administration block for the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA).

He said it was about time that residential facilities used alternative energy sources instead of depending fully on the limited national power.

The Deputy Minister also asked the MMDAs and other government institutions to consider putting in place sustainable power plans for their establishment as part of the New Urban Development being championed through the UN Habitat.

He noted that it was part of measures put in place by the UN Habitat to ensure that urban areas have sustainable green energy power in their vicinities.

Nii Adjei Kraku II, the Paramount Chief of Tema, called on Ghanaians to desist from joking about the energy crises and contribute their quota to find a lasting solution to the problem.

Nii Kraku reminded Ghanaians that successive governments also faced some form of energy crises so the current government should not be solely held responsible for the current energy crises.

He questioned what political parties, organizations and individuals were doing to help the situation, noting that, countries such as Malaysia developed through the positive contributions of the citizens.

According to him, if nothing concrete was done about the current crises, the next government irrespective of the political party would face untold hardship.

Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, in a welcome address, said the GHC 6.7 million office edifice, was expected to be completed in 10 months.

Mr Odamtten said when completed, the about 60 per cent of TMA's offices located outside the current premises would be housed there.

He said the 16 new departments under the Assembly, as part of the government's decentralization programme, would also be properly catered for.