Thanks to the Swiss-funded project, roughly 2’000 inhabitants on the islands communities will soon be able to access green and sustainable electricity under the Ghana Energy Development and Access Project (GEDAP).
Ambassador Stalder noted that although access to electricity is very important, it has struggled to gain the needed financial resources in many countries, especially when it comes to rural electrification. Currently, Global electrification rate is at 89% with about 573 million people in Sub Saharan Africa having no access to electricity. He added that Ghana has been remarkably successful in extending its national grid in the main lands. Electricity access stands at 85% with the remaining unconnected communities being in the remote areas and on islands.
He disclosed that Switzerland, through the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO, has been working with the Government of Ghana to achieve goal number 7 of the SDGs, which seeks to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
A full text of Ambassador Stalder's statement is found here (PDF, 2 Pages, 120.3 kB, English)