By Monitoring Desk
Chief of Anfoega Traditional Area in the Volta region, Togbe Tapre Hodo IV, has implored Ghanaians to support vice president and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s progressive and forward-looking ideas for a better future.
Togbe Tapre Hodo IV admonished the packed crowd at the Volta Region House of Chiefs, yesterday, when the vice president visited the region that “when we have a progressive idea being brought to the table, we should excuse the partisanship and listen carefully and see how best we can move forward as a nation with those ideas. Therefore, we should all embrace these positive ideas.”
Ghana, Togbe said, gained independence many years ago, but there is very little to show for its development after independence. It is therefore necessary that Ghana changes by being progressive and achieving economic development and this can only be done by looking forward to new ideas and taking steps to make it a reality for a better future.
Tobge Tapre added that he was optimistic there is hope for Ghana and urged everyone to buy into the perception of hope for a better future.
Addressing the chiefs, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia indicated that it was important to review sections of the Chieftaincy Act to empower Chiefs because there are many disputes that do not need to go through the formal court system.
The vice president disclosed that the next NPP government would add at least 2,000 megawatts of solar power to Ghana’s energy mix in the next four years.
According to the NPP’s flagbearer, businesses in Ghana are increasingly uncompetitive due to the high cost of electricity which he said depends largely on forex rates and the cost of petroleum on the international market.
Addressing the clergy later during the same tour, Dr Bawumia said the exposure of Ghana’s energy mix to world crude prices and foreign exchange fluctuations increases the cost of living for the average Ghanaian and renders businesses uncompetitive.
He said he envisions vigorously pursuing solar power in the next four years to help alleviate the harsh fuel prices levied on Ghanaians and businesses.
“To reduce the cost of living is to look at our power generation. Ghana currently relies a lot on oil and gas to generate power and if you look at their [oil and gas] costs, they are quite high so anytime the prices move up in the Middle East, fuel, electricity, and transport prices also move up and so I want us to move away from oil and gas to solar power. It is the key for us in the generation of electricity.
“My goal and the goal that I have stated is that in the next four years, Ghana should add 2,000 megawatts of solar power to the generation of power and that is more than half of our consumption of electricity and so combine that with Akosombo and you would nearly reduce the cost of power by nearly 50 per cent and that will give our businesses a competitive advantage.”