The development of energy supplies for the rural poor in Ghana

This paper considers the challenges, opportunities and obstacles to the development of energy supplies for the rural poor in Ghana.It begins by providing a breakdown of the existing energy mix in Ghana along with the current strategies and policy initiatives that the government has put in place. It considers the regulatory aspects to the development of more extensive energy supplies and the challenges of facilitating the necessary investment. It does this taking into account the relevant commercial, legal, environmental, developmental and human rights pressures that influence law and policy-making. The paper provides a breakdown of the different options that are available to Ghana in developing its energy infrastructure with a particular focus on the specific difficulties that come in to play when tasked with creating supplies for those in rural and poor areas. Therefore it considers the possibilities associated with the development of energy through fossil fuels but also renewable sources such as bio-energy, solar energy, wind power, hydropower (small and large), and tidal wave power. It provides case examples of small-scale renewable energy projects that have already been developed which have assisted those in rural and poor areas. The paper draws on the author’s experiences in meetings with representatives from the different ministries involved in the development of energy policy in Ghana. It also reflects on the practical issues of land tenure, chieftaincy law and corruption.The paper offers reflections on the work of E. F. Schumacher in terms of the economic approaches that the international community could adopt to attempt to resolve the imbalance of opportunity that exists for the rural poor in Africa as a result of the energy poverty that exists there.