Share information on energy

THE acting Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mr Alex Kofi Mould, has called for information sharing on energy within Africa to avoid the mistakes made by other countries.
That, he said, would facilitate the efforts of governments aimed at addressing the numerous challenges in the energy sector for the socio-economic growth of the continent.
Mr Mould said this at the opening ceremony of a five-day regional training course on how to formulate national energy plans and strategies for African countries by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Accra.
He said energy supply was a prerequisite for the development of a modern economy, wealth creation, poverty alleviation and the creation of employment opportunities in the country.
“Therefore, it is imperative that increased access to modern forms of energy supply at an affordable price is a necessary condition for socio-economic growth and the fulfilment of a number of economic and social goals of government,” he said.
Mr Mould also explained that the government’s strategy of transforming the country’s economy from a low-income one into a middle-income status with about $1,000 per capita income by the end of the decade would require the supply of modern forms of energy.
He, however, said that would require a comprehensive energy plan to examine new energy choices for the sustainable development of the energy sector so that the required future demand for energy to support the economy would be met.
”The current challenges facing the country’s energy supply system must not be allowed to persist,” he added.
In his address, the Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Dr Alfred Ofosu-Ahenkorah, said the commission would submit to the government a comprehensive energy policy for the development and utilisation of indigenous energy resources in the country.
He said it would also advise the Minister of Energy on national policies for the efficient, economical and safe supply of electricity, natural gas and petroleum products for rapid socio-economic growth.
He added that to achieve that objective, the commission had put in place the needed human resource to develop long-term energy plan, programmes and policies to ensure that current challenges and future ones in the sector were addressed.
For her part, the IAEA representative, Dr (Ms) Farzana Naqvi, said the objective of the training programme was to enhance the energy planning capabilities of the participating countries to come up with national energy policies for the sustainable development of the continent.
Dr Farzana stressed that the IAEA sought to assist participating countries to strengthen and sustain their institutional capacities for effective energy planning in those countries.