Ghana pursues a significant increase in renewable energy, targeting 7% of its national energy mix by 2027, up from 5% (280 megawatts). This ambition responds to the economic need for cleaner, cheaper alternatives to thermal generation and reduced reliance on drought-vulnerable hydropower. Achieving this requires legislation, public investment, and private capital.
Ghana’s energy security and economic stability depend on transitioning from volatile fossil fuels and climate-dependent hydro, ensuring consistent power.
Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor states solar offers Ghana a sustainable, cost-effective solution. Benjamin Boakye of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy agrees but urges more ambition, stressing local innovation, skills development, research, and domestic manufacturing.
Without these, Ghana risks a solar sector dependent on imported technologies, creating vulnerability. Building local capacity is necessary for independence. Ghana’s legal framework, Act 832, administered by the Energy Commission, governs renewable energy development. Enacted in 2011, it supports net metering, mini-grids, and off-grid solar systems, facilitating solar power integration.
These policy instruments provide the regulatory environment for large-scale and decentralized solutions, encouraging investment and creating a predictable landscape.
Public and private sectors contribute to this expansion. The Bui Power Authority, a key public developer, operates a 5-megawatt floating solar installation on the Black Volta River, with plans to scale to 65 megawatts. A 40-megawatt land-based plant in Bono Region is active. The 50-megawatt Galgu Solar Plant in Yendi, built by Bui Power Authority with First Sky Limited, feeds directly into the national grid, diversifying the national energy portfolio.
The Volta River Authority develops smaller plants across northern regions (2.5 MW to 13 MW). A 30-megawatt floating installation at Kpong Hydro Reservoir is under development. A 253-kilowatt mini-grid in Ada East District supplies 3,700 residents in previously unserved communities, extending electricity access, addressing energy poverty, and fostering local economic development.
Private capital enters the market significantly. LMI Holdings develops the Dawa Industrial Enclave Solar Park, targeting 1,000 megawatts by 2030. The International Finance Corporation approved a $100 million facility for the first 150-megawatt phase. LMI operates Africa’s largest single rooftop solar installation (16.82 megawatts) at Tema Free Zones Enclave. Private sector engagement signals confidence, bringing essential capital and expertise.
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Despite advancements, significant hurdles remain. Reaching remote communities is a challenge. An $85 million program, backed by the African Development Fund, Climate Investment Funds, Swiss government, and Ghana, targets over 70,000 people in remote and island communities via solar home systems, mini-grids, and net-metered installations. However, as Boakye notes, more capacity is not enough. Investment in transmission, distribution, and local manufacturing is essential for Ghana’s solar sector to achieve independence.
The nation’s energy future depends on addressing these core infrastructural and industrial realities. Without a robust transmission network, power cannot reach consumers efficiently, and without local manufacturing, economic benefits remain limited. Ghana must build a comprehensive ecosystem.
By Thuita Gatero, Managing Editor, Africa Digest News. He specializes in conversations around AI and energy.
