The Turnkey Electrification Project, implemented under the Rural Electricity Acceleration and Urban Intensification Initiative (REIP), aims to expand electricity access and improve the reliability of existing power networks in the Oti Region. The project was launched as part of efforts to extend electricity to underserved communities and strengthen existing infrastructure. Deputy Minister of Energy and Green Transition, Richard Gyan-Mensah, stated that the initiative would address both rural and urban electricity needs.
The project will cover all nine districts of the Oti Region, with the beneficiary communities spread across Guan, Buem, Akan, Biakoye, Nkwanta South, Nkwanta North, Krachi Nchumuru, Krachi West, and Krachi East districts. The rural component of the project will extend electricity to communities without access, while the urban intensification component will improve existing networks to enhance reliability and supply.
The government plans to extend the strategy to all 16 regions over the next four years, with the Volta, Oti, Savannah, and North East regions among those receiving attention this year. Richard Gyan-Mensah also disclosed that 2,000 distribution transformers had been released for installation by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) to improve supply stability.
For communities located far from existing distribution networks, the government is considering mini-grid systems as an alternative means of providing electricity. Additionally, the Deputy Minister announced plans to improve community and highway lighting through solar technology, with about 23,000 solar streetlights expected to be provided nationwide.
Under the arrangement, Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies will contribute part of the installation cost, with the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition financing the remainder. The Ministry is also working on electricity infrastructure and connectivity along the Eastern Corridor to improve supply and voltage stability in the region.
The project forms part of President John Dramani Mahama’s directive to expand rural electrification across all 16 regions. Engineer Sulemana Abubakar, in charge of Power at the Ministry, stated that the Ministry was working with ECG and NEDCo to implement the project, with Le-Grino selected to undertake the electrification works across the nine districts of the Oti Region.
Oti Regional Minister John Kwadwo Gyapong expressed appreciation to the government for selecting 90 communities in the region to benefit from the project and assured stakeholders of the Regional Coordinating Council’s support for its implementation. The Overlord of Chonke, Nana Bondja Kwame II, welcomed the intervention and appealed to the Ministry to ensure that electricity supply in the region remained stable and reliable.
Key points
- The project aims to provide electricity to 90 communities in the Oti Region.
- The government plans to extend the strategy to all 16 regions over the next four years.
- The project includes the installation of 2,000 distribution transformers and 23,000 solar streetlights.
