Deputy Minister of Power, Hon. John Jinapor
Acting Executive Secretary of the Ghana Energy Commission, Mr. Michael Opam
ECREEE Secretary General, Mr. Mahama Kappiah
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted to represent the U.S. government this morning in the opening of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Annex. Many of you here worked long and hard to make this Annex a reality. You deserve to be proud. I congratulate the Energy Commission and the ECOWAS Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency for your contributions in completing this annex. Thank you for organizing today’s event.
Ghana’s lack of reliable and affordable energy significantly limits the country’s economic growth, and its citizens suffer. This is true across much of Africa. In June 2013, President Obama launched the Power Africa initiative aimed at increasing access to power to more people across this continent. Here in West Africa, the U.S. Government, through USAID, is implementing this initiative in collaboration with ECREEE and national energy institutions like the Ghana Energy Commission. Together, we are working to encourage private sector investment in clean energy. One example of this is USAID’s Private Financing Advisory Network, which provides consultancy services to energy developers and guides projects to financial closure.
USAID, ECREEE, and Ghana’s Energy Commission jointly agreed to establish the ECREEE/SE4ALL Annex here at the Energy Commission. The Power Africa Clean Energy Transactions Adviser—who will be funded by USAID—and the SE4ALL Country Coordinator will both work here in this annex. This new annex will result in better coordination among our staff and programs. Our joint efforts will further ECREEE’s Regional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency policies. They will also provide power to the broader Sub Saharan Africa region—power that is reliable, affordable, and sustainable.
We are proud to partner with ECREEE and the Ghana Energy Commission. I look forward to our continuing cooperation. Together we can enhance energy security. Together we can advance economic growth. Together, we can decrease poverty.
Thank you.
