According to the President, the annual growth in demand for electricity is estimated at 10%, which means that for every 7 years, investment in electricity infrastructure has to be doubled in most West African countries.

“The availability and use of electricity will greatly influence how rapidly West African countries are able to increase their agricultural and industrial productivity, provide safe drinking water, achieve rapid economic development, and use information and communications technology to become increasingly integrated into the global marketplace,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo was speaking at the opening of the 12^th General Assembly of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), in Accra on Friday, 3^rd November, 2017.

The President noted that, investment in the energy sector ensures the delivery of financial and social returns that have the potential to address important challenges, such as reduction of poverty and improvement of the lives of people.

In West Africa, he added that, through the ECOWAS Energy Protocol, efforts have been made to resolve the regulatory and political barriers constraining investment in electricity supply, and inadequate infrastructure along the electricity value chain.

It is for this reason that Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, through the Supplementary Act A/SA4/01/08, decided that most of the regional power generation facilities should be developed by WAPP, through special purpose vehicles under the PPP framework.

The 450 MW WAPP Regional Thermal Generation Plants at Aboadze in Ghana, and Maria Gleta in Benin, are being developed within this framework, with the successes of these projects going a long way to boost investor confidence and attract more private sector capital into other WAPP Projects.

President Akufo-Addo noted that Ghana has been able, through the right regulatory, legal and commercial framework, to attract a lot of private sector players into the generation end of the business, and in the near future should be able to export its excess generation through the WAPP network to other countries.

“We are fully aware that, if we are to see West Africa prosper, a Region that is able to turn its natural endowments into resources that will offer her people access to better education, improved health care, safe water and electricity, we should call on our experts, technical and financial partners gathered here this week, to come up with concrete proposals that will make regional integration, through a Regional Electricity Market, a reality,” the President said.

He was confident that the 12^th WAPP General Assembly will be able to seize the opportunity to reflect on the progress made towards the establishment of a Regional Electricity Market, and, in general, identify gaps and challenges, as we map a clear way forward.

With discussions at the WAPP General Assembly focusing on Regional Electricity Market, President Akufo-Addo urged the participants to recall that, whilst the challenges are immense, the Region must fundamentally realign its energy systems to achieve a unified system.

“WAPP has what it takes, in terms of capacity and capability, to create the Regional Electricity Market.  This is the surest way to harness the abundant energy resources in the Region to accelerate the socio-economic development of the Region, and improve the living standards of our people.  We must travel down this road. Alongside the risks, this is a moment of great opportunity for WAPP and West Africa,” he added.

President was convinced that the agreement amongst West African countries to integrate their electricity network for the region’s development and economic take-off will engender strong synergies and significant complementarities.

“The outcome of the integration should be an electricity system in which uninterrupted supply is the expectation, rather than the exception,” he added.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Reliable energy crucial to West Africa’s development – Nana Addo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Catalans dominated throughout but could not find a breakthrough until 18-year-old forward Sandro tapped in.

They hit the woodwork before half-time when Lionel Messi’s free-kick was pushed onto the post by Sergio Asenjo.

But Villarreal almost took the lead against the run of play when Tomas Pina’s angled drive hit the post.

The visitors controlled possession and territory but looked set to be frustrated against a Villarreal side which finished a credible sixth on their return to the Spanish top flight last season.

That was until Sandro, another product of Barca’s La Masia academy, gleefully tucked in a loose ball after Messi was denied from a tight angle.

Neymar made his return for Barcelona as a second-half substitute following injury

The Spain youth international’s winner means Barca have taken maximum points from their two La Liga matches under new boss Luis Enrique.

Former Barca player Enrique appears to be asking his players to play their trademark possession-based game at a higher tempo than they did under his predecessor Tata Martino.

But for a long time, it did not look as though Villarreal would tire and allow themselves to be prised open by the visitors.

Unsurprisingly, four-time world player of the year Messi was the focal point of Barca’s brightest attacking play, creating a host of chances before providing the assist for Sandro.

Barca right-back Dani Alves, who ate a banana thrown on to the pitch in this fixture last season, was jeered by Villarreal fans throughout.

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Source: BBC Sport

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