PANELLISTS at the 9th National Energy Symposium
in Accra have called for the efficient use of the country’s resources, to
promote stability and support the course of achieving the Ghana Beyond Aid
agenda.
According to them, safeguarding the natural environment was critical to ensuring
a resilient economy.
Initiated by the Ministry of Energy and the
Energy Commission, the five-day event, is aimed at creating opportunities for the
citizenry to protect the country’s natural resources and create the enabling
environment to maintain a stable, united and safe country.
Themed: “Opportunities for renewable
energy and energy efficiency in a constrained energy sector,” the symposium
brought together state actors, civil society organisations, donors, academia
and the private sector as well as stakeholders in the energy sector.
Speaking on the theme: “Energy and sustainable development in the era of Ghana Beyond Aid,” the panellists said the energy sector was a key source of the country’s economic development.
They said there was the need to harness the countries resources, deploy them effectively and efficiently for economic transformation.
The Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Charles Adu-Boahen, in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Joseph Asenso, Head of Oil and Gas at the Ministry, said energy was key to the country’s economic growth and development.
To achieve the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda, the minister said the economy would require growth in the fuel and the availability of power to serve as a lever for industrial and high value services production.
Mr Adu- Boahen said government had made progress in ensuring power stability in the country adding that “when it comes to energy, it is not just availability but also affordability.”
He expressed government’s commitment to
providing cheap energy to the people, saying that “we have taken steps to
reduce the price of indigenous gas, a key input for electricity generation in
the country.”
Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, Deputy Minister of Energy, said government would soon inaugurate a petroleum hub in the Western Region to add value to the country’s natural resources for production of fertilizer chemicals, plastic and synthetic products.
He said the fertiliser would be used to support government’s flagship programme “Planting for Food and Jobs.”
Dr Charles Mensa, founder and chairman, Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA),
said there was the need for Ghanaians to own majority of the country’s oil exploits, and asked the government to negotiate deals in the energy sector to the benefit of the citizenry.
He expressed worry that the country had achieved little from its discoveries especially the oil and gas sector.
Other panellists were Dr Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampah, Senior Technical Advisor, Ministry of Planning, Dr Nii Darko Asante, Director, Technical Regulation, Energy Commission, and Mr Seth Twum Akwaboah, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Ghana Industries.
BY ALLIA NOSHIE
