By Benjamin Akoto
Sunyani, (Bono), July 31, (GNA) – Mr John Abdulai Jinapor, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, says the nation is making significant inroads in integrating nuclear power to support the government’s flagship 24-hour Plus and the ‘Big Push’ infrastructure initiatives.
He said the country had laid the required regulatory, technical, and human resource foundations to integrate nuclear energy into national power systems, saying that was done through the Nuclear Power Programme Implementation Organization (NPPI), aligned with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s milestone.
Mr Jinapor said the government remained committed to enhance grid reliability and thereby provide a stable baseload to support industrialization and economic transformation.
The sector minister said this in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Seth a Mahu, the Director of Renewable Energy and Green Transition at the Ministry of Energy at a forum and exhibition organized by the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani.
On the theme “Promoting Internationalization, Visibility, and Impact through Diversity and Inclusion,” the forum was to mark the university’s International Day celebration and to foster inclusion and deepen the institution’s international partnerships.
Mr Jinapor explained that the country had so far integrated 200 megawatts of solar energy into the national grid, representing four percent of the nation’s installed capacity from renewable sources, excluding hydropower, which remained a major renewable contributor.
He said: “International cooperation for sustainable development must focus on expanding both access and equity. Our objective is not just to green the energy system, but to also guarantee universal access”.
Mr Jinapor said the nation was making strenuous efforts intensifying last-mile electrification, particularly, in rural and off-grid communities, adding that the country’s electrification rate exceeded 89 percent now.
He said that through the deployment of mini-grids, solar home systems, and strategic public-private partnerships, the country was committed to achieving full electrification coverage by 2030.
Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, the Vice-Chancellor UENR said the institution was preparing the next generation of experts to lead the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy through education and innovation.
He said UENR had signed 70 Memoranda of Understanding with partners in 37 African and 13 in European countries, including Germany, North America, Asia, and Australia, saying “these are not just symbolic partnerships, they are active instruments driving change”.
Prof Asare-Bediako said the university’s collaborations with German and Chinese institutions had helped shape its sustainability agenda and thereby enhance its technological capabilities, adding that “our partnerships in North America have enabled UENR to expand its research in energy and environmental sciences”.
The VC said: “We now look to the future with hope and resilience. UENR’s aspirations transcend Ghana, and we are crafting a new identity, one that positions the university as an institution that serves not only Ghana, but Africa and the world”.
Prof Asare-Bediako said the university remained committed to eradicating energy poverty, promoting sustainable resource management, environmental integrity as well as churn out students highly skilled for the green economy.
GNA
Edited by Dennis Peprah