By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Nov. 24, GNA – Ghana’s renewable energy project on West Africa’s first floating Hydro-Solar Hybrid (HSH) plant has been showcased at the third Edition of Huawei’s Corporate Sustainability Development (CSD) Forum at Dongguan, China.
The plant makes use of Huawei’s Smart Photovoltaic (PV) Solution that is; the smart inverter solution, Battery Energy Storage Solution (BESS) and the Smart Transformer Station (STS) to store and ensure stable and reliable supply of electricity when water levels of the Bui Dam are low, especially during the dry season.
The Forum was on the theme: “Thrive Together with Tech: Realizing Sustainable Development.”
It is to showcase the best sustainable development projects selected from Asia, Europe, America, and Africa.
The forum, in partnership with international organizations, government, think tanks, career and global industry stakeholders sought to demonstrate environmental and business value, by explaining how the innovative digital applications of Huawei and its partners enable sustainable development in remote areas.
The reliable and stable supply of energy from the hydro-solar hybrid plant led to the birth of a new venture; Bui Cashew Limited, located within the Bui enclave covering an expansive area of about 2000 m2.
The Bui Cashew Limited is a cashew factory which has the capacity of producing 6 -8 tons of cashew nuts a day and the factory relies on the energy produced from the HSH plant to fuel its heavy machinery and enhance efficiency and productivity.
With new investment in this factory, the project sought to employ about 800locals and train more rural folks in the cashew nut value chain business to enable them to make a living for themselves.
Beneficiaries will undergo training in the planting, preservation, and the processing of cashew from its raw state to valuable products like cashew oil and cashew butter, among others.
The establishment of the Hydro-solar Hybrid plant comes as part of the government’s drive to diversify the country’s energy mix, scale up energy access for all and place Ghana on a low carbon development pathway to ensure sustainable development.
First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, speaking at the event, said Ghana had made significant strides in advocating for sustainability across the various sectors of the economy.
She said in the energy sector, Ghana was the first West African country to build a floating Hydro-Solar Hybrid plant, as part of efforts in diversifying its energy mix.
“Significantly, this plant will fuel a cashew factory in the Bono Region and create employment for over 800 citizens, including women,” she said.
The First Lady said the cashew plant would not only provide employment opportunities but also equip beneficiaries with the necessary skillset to make a living on their own.
“The world is going green and projects such as the hydro-solar hybrid plant show that Ghana is on the right path, towards the realization of a sustainable and eco-friendly digital future,” she added.
Mrs Akufo-Addo said Huawei was indeed contributing meaningfully to stimulating the Ghanaian economy.
“I can truly say that my office’s experience working with Huawei has been encouraging. Together, we have worked tirelessly in building the skills capacity of females in rural areas, over 6000 students and traders have been trained in a period of two years,” she said.
She said her Office was grateful for the collaboration, dynamism was an essential tool in the achievement of success, the cashew factory initiative introduced a more enhanced dynamism to the partnership with Huawei.
She said that the cashew factory would build on the successes achieved as partners and contribute to the realization of a new rural economy where no one was left behind.
Mrs Akufo-Addo commended the Bui Power Authority, Meinergy who owns the factory and Huawei for contributing their quota in support of this initiative to create employment opportunities for Ghanaians, especially women.
The office of the First Lady remained committed to working closely with Huawei and other industry partners to help bridge the gender divide and transform the lives of Ghanaians.
GNA