Mahama Reaffirms Government’s Commitment to Transforming Ghana’s Energy Sector
President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated the Government of Ghana’s strong commitment to transforming the country’s energy sector by shifting from hydrocarbons to renewable energy sources.
Speaking at the 2025 African CEOs Forum Awards held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, President Mahama outlined Ghana’s strategic vision to become West Africa’s leading petrochemical hub while simultaneously advancing its renewable energy agenda.
He emphasized Ghana’s transition toward green energy, highlighting the passage of the Renewable Energy Act, which mandates that renewable sources contribute at least 10 percent to the nation’s energy mix. However, he acknowledged that current figures fall short of this goal.
“I’m ashamed to say we are under three percent at the moment. I think 2.71 percent of our total power production is renewable and it’s mainly in the solar space. Ghana has a comparative advantage to produce solar because we have abundant sunlight,” President Mahama stated.
He stressed that the Government aims to achieve a balance between energy independence, climate responsibility, and economic stability—not just to power the nation, but to transform it.
To this end, he revealed plans to increase solar energy capacity through large-scale projects for both industrial and household consumption. “We’re issuing licenses to several companies to establish large-scale solar plants—20 megawatts, 50 megawatts, and even 100 megawatts—so we can meet the 10 percent renewable energy target,” he said.
President Mahama also advocated for policy reforms that would allow individuals and households to feed excess solar energy into the national grid and be compensated, similar to systems in countries like Germany and in parts of Scandinavia.
Sharing his personal experience, he said, “I have a farm where I’ve installed solar and I’m producing more energy than I need. I feed the excess into the grid, but currently, there’s no policy to compensate me for it, so it has become a charitable act.”
He expressed a keen interest in ensuring that such policies are implemented to encourage broader participation in renewable energy production.
As part of this broader strategy, President Mahama noted that the Ministry of Energy has been renamed the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, underscoring the Government’s intent to adopt a more expansive and future-oriented energy policy.
Looking ahead, the President stated that Ghana aims to gradually eliminate fossil fuels from its energy mix. “Within the next four years, with the current pace of investment, we should be able to generate 100 percent of our electricity from natural gas, and with increased solar input, those will become our main sources of power,” he noted.
However, he acknowledged that certain sectors—such as public transport and heavy-duty logistics—would still rely on oil and diesel in the near term.
President Mahama concluded by emphasizing the importance of long-term planning, stating that the Government is looking ahead to where Ghana’s energy sector should be by 2040 and 2050.
