Accra, Ghana – U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie Sullivan joined the President of Ghana H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo and other Ghana government officials to formally inaugurate the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point (BSP) in Accra today. The U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) funded the $64.7 million (GH₵ 391.9 million) electrical infrastructure project under the Ghana Power Compact.
“The Pokuase Bulk Supply Point represents sustainable infrastructure investment by the United States with Ghana that will benefit hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians now and into the future,” remarked Ambassador Sullivan at the inaugural event. “It will help deliver more reliable power to the people, places, and businesses of Accra that drive increased economic activity benefitting families, businesses, and communities.”
This represents a flagship investment under the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Ghana Power Compact. The Pokuase BSP will reduce outages in the power system, help stabilize voltages, and improve the quality and reliability of power supplied to the northern parts of the capital city of Accra. It will also reduce technical losses in the power transmission and distribution system, contributing to the financial viability of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) in the long term. The Pokuase BSP is now the largest-capacity BSP in Ghana at 580 megavolt amperes (MVA) and will directly benefit 350,000 utility customers.
The Government of Ghana implemented the project through the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA). MiDA formally handed over the new power substation to ECG and GRIDCo in today’s ceremony.
The Pokuase BSP is the first major construction project to be completed under the Ghana Power Compact. The $316 million compact is helping the Government of Ghana improve the power sector through investments that will provide more reliable and affordable electricity to Ghana’s businesses and households. The compact is also funding a BSP at Kasoa and two primary substations at Kanda and Legon, in addition to other power sector investments, energy efficiency programs, and women’s empowerment programs within the power sector. The compact program will officially close on June 6, 2022.
About the Millennium Challenge Corporation
The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an independent U.S. Government agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth. Created in 2004, MCC provides time-limited grants and assistance to countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption and respecting democratic rights. More information at mcc.gov.
US Ambassador Stephanie S. Sullivan
Remarks for Inauguration of the MCC Pokuase Bulk Supply Point
October 20, 2021
His Excellency the President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo;
Honorable Deputy Ministers of Energy;
Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy;
Other Honorable Members of Parliament;
Board Chair Professor Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu, Chief Executive Officer, management and staff of MiDA;
Board Chair Keli Gadzikpo, management, and staff of ECG, GRIDCO, PURC, the Energy Commission, Ghana Standards Authority, Lands Commission, and the EPA;
Colleagues from MCC;
Municipal Chief Executives and officials;
Assembly members;
Nii me, Naa me;
Representatives of Elecnor, Best and Crompton, SMEC and other contractors and advisors to this project;
Representatives of the Residents Association of Pokuase;
Representatives of religious and traditional bodies;
And all other community members, guests, and the media:
Good morning!
I am elated to be with you here today, representing the United States Government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, or MCC.
I feel energized already! This is an impressive place. Impressive not only for the size and scale, but also for what this bulk supply station represents. First of all, this represents strong international cooperation between the United States and Ghana – and also between multiple partners working across international borders and economic sectors toward a common good.
More than that, this represents a major, sustainable infrastructure investment by the United States and Ghana that will benefit hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians now and into the future. The Pokuase bulk supply station will help deliver more reliable power to the people, places, and businesses of Accra and Southern Ghana and drive increased economic activity, benefiting families, businesses, and communities. The Millennium Challenge Corporation takes a holistic approach to supporting infrastructure improvements.
MCC doesn’t just provide the funding, it also works with local partners to implement the projects and ensure needed structural reforms accompany these new investments. MCC is working in Ghana to reduce poverty through economic growth by providing a grant of $316 million dollars through the Ghana Power Compact program, with implementing partners at the Millennium Development Authority, or MiDA, and in partnership with entities like the Ghana Grid Company or GRIDCo, and the Electricity Company of Ghana, or ECG.
We are here today to celebrate a major milestone and flagship investment under the Ghana Power Compact – the completion of this Pokuase Bulk Supply Point and Interconnected Circuits. On April 30, 2019, I was here at this site with many of you, for the groundbreaking of this $64.72 million dollar project. I even got a photo op on some heavy earth-moving equipment! Wow… it looks so different! That day, we were surrounded by a large brownfield of dirt and filled with anticipation for what this bulk supply point would become.
Today, that anticipation is now a reality. This bulk supply point has been constructed in less than two and a half years, even with all the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the creative problem-solving of MCC and MiDA, MiDA’s contractors and consultants, and the commitment of the Government of Ghana, GRIDCo, ECG, and all the local and international workers and advisors, we are here!
This site embodies the adinkra symbol kokromotie, signifying teamwork and cooperation. The proof is around us in the infrastructure you see, the improved supply of electricity we are now enjoying, and also all around in those of you who, together, made it happen. And with $64.72 million dollars from the American people, the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point is now the largest capacity substation in Ghana, at 580 megavolt amperes (MVA). It is energized and online! Ayikoo! It is improving the quality and reliability of the power supply in Accra.
It is reducing outages, stabilizing voltages, reducing technical losses in the power system, and directly benefiting 350,000 utility customers. This substation is just one of multiple investments under the MCC Ghana Power Compact. Major construction will be completed in the coming months on substations at Kanda, Legon, and Kasoa, which are also designed to improve the quality and reliability of electricity through reduced outages and technical losses.
The MCC Ghana Power Compact is having broad, positive impact across Ghana. While much of the focus on the compact is on infrastructure, other investments include work to address the climate crisis by helping Ghana’s government agencies reduce their energy consumption, developing and implementing energy standards and labels, improving energy audits, providing education and public information, and investing in energy efficient infrastructure, as well as empowering women working in the power sector.
In fact, as we’ve heard, 15% of the employees working on the project were women! These are long-term investments that will pay dividends for generations.
And that is the real beauty in what this grand substation is about. It is about inclusively helping ordinary Ghanaian citizens go about their daily lives with fewer interruptions. Students can study with the lights on in the evening. Store owners’ products can last longer and are safer with continuous refrigeration. Drivers can safely navigate illuminated streets at twilight. Babies can sleep peacefully –under a treated bednet, I hope -through the hot, humid night under the soft blow of a fan.
The power sector is a complex system of customers, government entities, and private businesses. But to any Ghanaian, it is simple. Unreliable electricity leaves us in the dark. This project keeps the lights on, as part of the $316 million MCC Ghana Power Compact, which is just one of the U.S. Government’s many contributions to a brighter future for Ghana.
Thank you for your kind attention.
