By Benjamin Akoto
Sunyani, Oct. 11, GNA – Mr Wisdom Ahiataku-Togobo, the Director of Renewable Energy, Bui Power Authority (BPA), the managers of the Bui Hydro Electric Power Dam, says Africa needs reliable and affordable energy to develop the continent.
“It’s time African countries come together, unite and develop numerous natural resources to push forward the development of the continent. With affordable and reliable power we can easily push industrialisation for the continent’s progress without foreign aid”, Mr Ahiataku-Togobo said.
“I think Africa should emulate the United States of America, European Union and the United Arab Emirates and develop its energy resources to provide cheaper electricity, drive industrialisation and add value to natural resources too,” he said.
Mr Ahiataku-Togobo was speaking on the topic: “Sustainable Energy for Socio-Economic and Industrial Transformation in Africa” at a public lecture organised by the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) at Fiapre, near Sunyani, as part of the University’s 10th-anniversary celebration this year.
Mr Ahiataku-Togobo said, “Africa has enough to be self-sufficient in providing sustainable energy for its people”, saying hydropower alone had the potential to provide cheaper electricity to drive industrialisation in the continent.
“Natural gas across Africa is approximately 100 trillion cubic metres which are largely untapped,” he said, indicating that the continent also had adequate uranium to fuel nuclear power plants for power supply.
“Africa is among the five top 30 oil-producing countries in the world and accounted for 7.9 million barrels of crude in 2019, about 9.6 per cent of the world’s output. The total crude reserves in Africa in 2019 stood at 125.3 billion barrels,” Mr Ahiataku-Togobo added.
He said biomass (wood fuel) also accounted for 61 per cent and 88 per cent of primary energy consumption in Africa produced internally, saying natural gas, hydro-power, clean coal and nuclear remained the most sustainable and relatively cost-competitive power generation option for the continent if Africa yearned to achieve set targets for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“In fact, reliable and affordable power is key to the attainment of the global goals by 2030,” Mr Ahiataku-Togobo noted.
Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, the Vice-Chancellor of the UENR, explained the institution had instituted the public lectures to broaden the knowledge of the people on energy and other issues of development.
GNA