206 Volta towns get GH¢598m electrification project -

Government has launched a GH¢598 million electrification project to connect 206 communities across the Volta Region to the national electricity grid, as part of a broader drive to close the country’s electricity-access gap and support economic transformation.

The project, being implemented under the Government’s Rural Electrification Acceleration and Urban Intensification Initiative (REIP) and forming part of the flagship Big Push programme, will cover all 18 Municipal and District Assemblies in the region and is expected to be completed within six months.

The initiative is designed to extend electricity to communities currently without grid access, while also providing extensions to areas where additional infrastructure is required to improve coverage.

The project is being implemented by Byes and Ways Limited, with the launch also marking the formal handover of the project site to the contractor to commence construction.

The Government says the investment is part of a wider strategy to accelerate rural electrification by selecting regions for intensive expansion of the national grid each year.

4 regions targeted in first phase
Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, said the Government had adopted a programme under which selected regions would be targeted annually for aggressive connection of unelectrified communities.
For the first phase, the Volta, Oti, Central and Savannah regions have been selected for major electrification interventions.

He said another four regions would be targeted annually until 2030, when the Government expects the country to achieve universal electricity access.

“The Volta Region project, being implemented by Byes and Ways Limited, will extend electricity supply to 206 communities across the 18 districts. Government is committed to completing these works within six months,” Dr Jinapor said.

He said the GH¢598 million investment demonstrated the Government’s determination to accelerate rural electrification while addressing the electricity-access gap in the region.

According to the Minister, access to reliable electricity is critical not only for households but also for education, healthcare, businesses, agro-processing, investment, security and job creation.

Govt adds transmission investments
The electrification project is being complemented by major investments to strengthen the transmission and distribution network in the Volta Region.

Dr Jinapor said the Government was deploying more than 2,000 distribution transformers nationwide within the operational areas of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo).

In the Volta Region, he announced the construction of a 45-kilometre, 161-kilovolt transmission line from Asiekpe to Ho, together with a new 161/34.5-kilovolt Bulk Supply Point at Ho.

The transmission investment is expected to improve voltage levels, increase the reliability of electricity supply and provide additional capacity to meet rising demand along the Asiekpe-Ho-Kadjebi corridor.

A separate account of the project indicates that the new facility at Ho will provide the regional capital with a dedicated transformer and transmission line, easing pressure on existing transmission and transformer infrastructure.

The transmission and substation upgrade is being undertaken by Tilt Engineering Limited and is expected to be completed within 12 months.

‘6 months is not a suggestion’
Dr Jinapor warned the electrification contractor that the deadline was firm and that the Ministry would closely monitor implementation.
“The six-month timeline is not a suggestion, and this Ministry will hold the contractor to it,” he stated.

He said the Ministry would monitor the project to ensure that construction met the required standards, delivered value for money and was completed within the stipulated period.

The Minister called on traditional authorities, Municipal and District Assemblies and beneficiary communities to cooperate with contractors by facilitating access to project sites, helping resolve right-of-way challenges and protecting project materials.

He also urged communities to protect electricity infrastructure from vandalism and illegal connections, observe electrical safety requirements and pay their electricity bills promptly to help maintain the financial sustainability of the power sector.

Ho transmission works already underway

The separate transmission project has also moved into its preliminary implementation phase.
Speaking on behalf of Tilt Engineering Limited, its Chief Executive Officer, Ing. Samuel Adjidjornu, said preliminary activities had begun, with a technical team conducting route surveys and engaging communities along the transmission corridor.

The works are expected to provide Ho with additional transmission capacity and reduce pressure on existing infrastructure, thereby improving the reliability of power supply to the regional capital and surrounding communities.

At a handover ceremony at the GRIDCo Substation, the transmission project was formally handed over to Tilt Engineering Limited by Dr Jinapor, GRIDCo Chief Executive Officer Ing. Frank Asirifi Otchere and ECG Deputy Managing Director, Special Duties, Mr David Asamoah.

The ceremony brought together officials from the energy sector, traditional leaders and local government representatives.

They included representatives of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, ECG’s Director of Engineering, Ing. Jacqueline A. Ofori-Atta, ECG Volta Regional General Manager Ms Christina Jatoe-Kaleo, Ho District Manager Mr Emmanuel Offei, Commercial Manager Mr Solomon Adjiku and other ECG staff, as well as officials of GRIDCo.

Volta Economic Corridor gets energy boost
Volta Regional Minister Mr James Gunu described the electrification and transmission investments as critical to the region’s economic transformation agenda and the proposed Volta Economic Corridor.

He said reliable and sustainable electricity would be essential to attracting investment and supporting agriculture, manufacturing and other emerging green industries.

According to him, improved electricity infrastructure could help reduce energy costs for agriculture and manufacturing, strengthen value addition, promote agricultural transformation and attract green investments.

“Sustainable energy should not be viewed merely as an environmental intervention. For the Volta Region, it can become the energy foundation of the economic corridor, powering farms and factories, lowering production costs, creating green jobs, attracting investment and enabling the Region to move from a resource-based economy towards value-added, export-oriented and climate-resilient growth,” Mr Gunu said.

He said the region had significant development potential and that investments in energy and other critical infrastructure were laying the foundation for accelerated economic growth.

Chiefs pledge support
President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs and Paramount Chief of the Akpini Traditional Area, Togbe Dagadu IX, welcomed the projects and pledged the support of traditional authorities across the region.

He said expanded access to electricity would improve education, healthcare and commerce while creating a stronger foundation for local economic development.

He pledged that chiefs, through their traditional councils and community structures, would support public education on the projects, facilitate access to sites and help resolve challenges that could emerge during implementation.

He urged beneficiary communities to cooperate with the contractors to ensure that the projects were completed successfully.

PURC to investigate overbilling complaints
The launch also provided the Minister with an opportunity to address concerns over alleged electricity overbilling.

Dr Jinapor said the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) would independently investigate complaints from consumers to determine whether customers were being billed accurately based on their actual consumption.

Where investigations establish that faulty meters are responsible for discrepancies, he said the affected meters would be replaced.

The Government’s position is that improved access to electricity must be accompanied by greater reliability, efficient service delivery and consumer confidence in the billing system.

The combined investments in rural electrification, transmission and distribution are therefore intended to ensure that communities newly connected to the national grid do not merely receive electricity, but obtain access to a more stable and sustainable power supply.

With the GH¢598 million electrification project targeting 206 communities, the planned 45-kilometre 161kV Asiekpe-Ho transmission line, the new 161/34.5kV Bulk Supply Point at Ho and the nationwide deployment of more than 2,000 transformers, the Government is presenting the Volta intervention as both an electricity-access programme and an economic-development investment.

The immediate challenge, however, will be implementation. With the Government imposing a six-month deadline for the 206-community electrification project and a 12-month timeline for the transmission and substation works, the success of the initiative will depend on timely construction, effective community cooperation, strong monitoring and protection of the infrastructure after commissioning.