The United States and the Ghanaian governments on Wednesday inaugurated a GH₵ 391.9 million – about $64.7 million – electrical infrastructure project in Pokuase, a suburb of Accra, Ghana’s capital.
The Pokuase Bulk Supply Point (BSP) was funded by the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) under the Ghana Power Compact, a statement from both countries said on Wednesday.
U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sullivan; the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo; and other Ghana government officials were at the BSP inauguration.
The Pokoasi BSP represents sustainable infrastructure investment by the United States with Ghana that will benefit hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians, the statement added.
“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.”
The BSP represents a flagship investment under the MCC’s Ghana Power Compact. It is expected to 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.
According to the statement, 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 Pokoasi 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) which formally handed over the new power substation to ECG and GRIDCo in Wednesday’s ceremony.
The Pokuase BSP is the first major construction project to be completed under the Ghana Power Compact.
The $316m 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.