By Albert Oppong Ansah
Accra, May 22, GNA – The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is promoting the use of renewable energy to support cost-effective industrial production and drive sustainable economic development.
“We cannot continue to rely on the national grid alone, particularly if we aspire to run the economy on a 24-hour basis,” Mr. Seth Twum-Akwaboah, AGI Chief Executive Officer, said, stressing that energy remained the lifeblood of industry.
He was speaking at AGI’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Business-to-Business (B2B) Expo, organised by its Energy Service Centre in Accra, under the theme: “Powering Ghana’s Industry through Sustainable Energy.”
The event brought together energy experts, businesses, financial institutions, and policymakers to explore partnerships and investments in clean energy solutions.
Mr. Twum-Akwaboah called for stronger public-private collaboration to expand renewable energy production using solar, wind, biomass, tidal, wave, and municipal waste sources.
“Can we secure 24-hour uninterrupted power for production, and how do we ensure that this power is affordable and sustainable?” he asked.
“The way forward is going sustainable and renewable.”
In a post-event interview, Mr. Twum-Akwaboah said that Ghana’s persistent energy challenges and a US$3 billion energy sector debt made renewable energy more viable.
“For Ghanaian industries to remain competitive, productive and resilient, we must align our energy requirements with smarter, greener and more sustainable alternatives. It is the reason why we established the AGI Energy Service Centre,” he said.
In a speech read on his behalf, Mr. Seidu Issifu, Minister of State in charge of Climate Change and Sustainability, urged businesses to adopt sustainable energy solutions as government reviewed regulations.
He said Ghana could achieve 10 per cent renewable energy use by 2030 while expanding green finance and creating jobs for youth and women.
Mr. Tolu Kweku Lacroix, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Ghana, said achieving Sustainable Development Goal seven would require strong collaboration to fully harness the potential of renewable energy.
He urged industry players to share knowledge and resources to scale up adoption of sustainable energy.
Mr. Andrew Boamah Asare, Infrastructure Specialist at the Swiss Embassy, reaffirmed support from the Swiss government and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in scaling up Ghana’s net metering programme.
The programme targets deployment of 12,000 rooftop solar PV systems for SMEs and households.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey