Gov’t commits $121 million to provide electricity to 500 communities in UE under the Rural Electrification Programme. (Wednesday, February 29, 2012 )

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga 500 communities in the Upper East Region are to benefit from a rural electrification project which when completed would benefit about 88,917 household in the beneficiary districts while creating in its wake 30 permanent jobs and 200 temporary jobs. The project will involve the supply and installation of electrical materials and equipment to the tune of $ 121 million for the beneficiary communities in the nine districts of the region. This came to light during a brief ceremony at Bolgatanga to hand over the project and introduce the contractor, Messrs Thengashep (GH) PTY to the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council, by the Ministry of Energy. The extension of electricity to the various communities fulfils a promise made by President Mills to have most of the deprived communities in the three northern regions to the national grid to facilitate development. In a remark, the deputy minister for energy, Alhaji Inusah Fusieni said an assessment carried out by the ministry revealed that the three region in northern Ghana, namely, Northern Region, Upper East and Upper West regions, had accessibility rates of 43.52 per cent ,30.39 per cent and 31.95 per cent respectively which fall far below the national average of 72 per cent. He said it was the resolve of government in the medium term to raise the accessibility rates of the three regions to that of the national average and even beyond. Alhaji Fusieni said the project in the Upper East Region together with 112 communities currently being electrified under the Self-Help Electrification Programme, (SHEP) and scheduled to be completed in December 2012 fall in tandem with the policy of the National Electrification Scheme which aims at extending the reach of electricity to all parts of the country by the year 2020. The deputy energy minister said per the benefit to be derived from the project in terms of the total number of household to benefit from it and the anticipated jobs to be created as a result, “the NDC government cannot but be excited about providing this key ingredient needed for the socio-economic development of the beneficiary communities”. While urging the contractors to deliver an efficient job, the deputy minister called on the beneficiary communities to monitor and bring to the attention of the ministry anything they suspect to be unusual for prompt action. On the thorny issues of compensation, the deputy minister was categorical stressing that there will be no compensation issue in the implementation of the project. He also entreated beneficiary communities to safeguard the wooden poles that would be used for the project. He announced that government is putting measures in place to ensure that unscrupulous persons do not charge high fees for connection. “The connection and meter fee for this project is 58 Ghana pesewas for single phase and GH c 1.16 for a three-phase connection, nothing more nothing less”, he declared while urging the public not to hesitate to report to the ministry or the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council any person who charged beyond the stated fees . The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Mark Woyongo, expressed happiness that the programme to extend electricity to many more communities was taking off. He asked the contractor to do deliver a good job and one that will last longer. He also urged people in the beneficiary communities to assist the contractor to do his work in peace. Mr. Woyongo appealed to the beneficiary communities to give a second thought to the issue of payment of compensation to them but gave the assurance that no property belonging to anybody will be destroyed in the cause of connecting their places to the national grid. While urging the people to desist from activities that will lead to bush fires, the regional minister proposed the use of steal poles instead of wooden ones to avert loss of materials in the event of wild fires. -End-