GHANA is to provide Nigeria with several
thousand megawatts of electricity as part of a
desperate measure to resolve the country's
epileptic power supply woes that is hindering
accelerated economic output.
Nigeria currently generates a meagre 4,000MW of
electricity a year at best when her power stations
are in full production, which is woefully short of
its needs. Africa's most populous country and
her largest economy, Nigeria produces less grid
electricity than the Republic of Ireland and South
Africans consume 55 times more energy per head
than Nigerians where 50% of the population have
no power at all.
Earlier this year, energy minister Chinedu Nebo,
said as a result of gas pipeline vandalism,
generated power had dropped to about 3,200MW
from a little above 4,000MW. Efforts by
successive governments to increase capacity have
been frustrated by rampant corruption and it
appears that the present administration has
decided to think outside the box and import
electricity from Ghana.
Ghanaian president John Mahama, said that
under the plan, his country would supply
electricity to Nigeria, Ivory Coast and other
neighbouring countries that have power deficit.
Speaking at the Africa Global Business and
Economic Forum in Dubai, Mr Mahama added that
his government had made huge investments in
power generation that would enable the country
to export the excess electricity.
President Mahama said: “We have given priority
to electricity generation in our country. We have
prioritised energy in such a way that we want to
become the hub for power production in West
Africa.
"We want to generate electricity to the point that
excess power can be exported to Nigeria, Ivory
Coast and other countries that have power
deficit.” He added that to achieve this dream,
Ghana had secured export-import financing from
China as well as special funds from Abu Dhabi to
commence a series of power generation projects,
with a third hydropower dam project already at an
advanced stage."
Speaking in a panel discussion alongside
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and President
Mulatu Wirtu of Ethiopia, President Mahama
added: “Where Africa faces some of its challenges
lies its biggest opportunities. We are leveraging
on public-private sector partnership to build
infrastructure.
"Be it roads, electricity, ports or communication
systems, if we create the right environment,
investors will come as creating the right
environment that will attract foreign direct
investment is key. Issues of accountability and
transparency are very important, so there must
be mechanism to fight corruption because at the
moment, we all have institutions but the major
thing is resourcing them to effectively fight
corruption and perform effectively.”
President Kagame said African governments must
create a system that is not sympathetic to
corruption, saying this would help drive the
required foreign direct investment into the
continent. He added that it is one thing to have
the institutions and it is another thing to allow
them to work.

I think they are on the right part