Ghana, in northwestern Africa, covers a total area of 238 500 km2, with an 1999 estimated a population of 18 887 626. The capital city is The capital city is Accra; other major towns are Kumasi and Tamale and the ports of Cape Coast, Tema and Takoradi. The official language of the country is English and local currency is the cedi. The international time zone is GMT. The international dialing code for Ghana is +233.

Ghana has twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa as result of its rich endowment of natural resources. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. The country’s domestic economy is heavily reliant on subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 41% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force. Ghana has a mixed economy although this is changing with its programme of privatisation of state-owned enterprises and government divestiture of holdings.

Water resources

The average annual precipitation is 2500 mm, resulting in a total mean annual precipitation volume of about 596 km3, of which 55 km3 is runoff.

The Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI), the Ghana Water and Sewage Corporation, and the Hydrological Division of the Ministry of Works and Housing, are responsible for water resources development.

Energy and power sectors

1996 estimates of total electrical consumption equaled, 6100 GWh, creating a per capita consumption of 256 kWh/year. Approximately 99%, or 5800 GWh, of the total electricity consumed was supplied by hydropower. Ghana has a total electrical installed capacity of 1187 MW, of which 1072 MW was in hydropower schemes. The government aims to supply electrification to the whole country by the year 2020.

The Volta River Authority, VRA, was created in 1961 by act of parliament (the Volta River Development Act). The VRA is responsible for generation in Ghana by developing the hydro potential of the Volta River and also the operation of the transmission system. Since 1987 the VRA has also been responsible for the distribution of electricity to all types of customers in the Brong Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.

Previously, the Electricity Corporation of Ghana, ECG, was responsible for all distribution throughout Ghana, buying electricity in bulk from the VRA. The ECG's responsibility for distribution is now limited to the Ashanti, Western, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra and Volta regions.

The VRA also exports electrical power to Benin and Togo, via the Benin/Togo joint venture Communaute Electrique du Benin, CEB, and also to the Ivory Coast utility Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricite, CIE, previously known as Electrique de la Côte d'Ivoire (EECI).

A consortium of Japanese and American firms are to build a 220 MW power station in Tema. There are proposals to build a gas pipeline from Lagos in Nigeria to Tema or Takoradi in Ghana to supply electricity generation. An international electricity link is also planned.

In February 1999 CMS Energy agreed to operate the Takoradi power station. The 330 MW combined cycle plant is to be doubled in capacity. When the expansion of Takoradi is complete, generating capacity will be 660 MW. The first 330 MW is expected to be on line in the second half of 1999, with the first 110 MW of the planned expansion due to be commissioned by March 2000. This facility will also be converted from oil to gas. This project will sell all its electricity to the VRA under a long term sales agreement.

The VRA and the ECG were granted loans by the Commonwealth Development Corporation to finance transmission and distribution improvement. IVO International of Finland constructed 5 distribution networks for the Ministry of Energy in 1995 at a cost of US$ 19 million.

A loan worth Ffr 25 million has been granted to the Volta River Authority by the Caisse Francaise de Developpment for the upgrading of a sub-station at Techiman and the installation of power stabilisation equipment at Sawla in the north-east of the country. This is part of a project involving the upgrading of the line between the two towns to a high voltage line.

Ghana's proposed Western Power Project began in 1998. Funding has been pledged for the construction of a 250 MW project in a lagoon near the Ivory Coast. The turbines will be fired by natural gas.

Ghana had to shut down four of its six hydro generators in the first half of 1998 due to lack of rain. Consequently 100 MW mobile generating equipment is to be imported from Britain on a short term basis to compensate.

Hydropower development

There are five large dams in operation throughout Guinea, the largest are Akosombo (134 m high) and Kpong (29 m high). Ghana has 1072 MW of installed hydro capacity, at the Akosombo (912 MW) and Kpong (160 MW) plants. These plants have an average generating capacity of 6100 GWh/year, approximately 58 per cent of the country’s 10 600 GWh/year hydropower potential, evaluated in 1985.

One of the main priorities for the future is construction of the 400 MW Buiare hydropower plant (scheduled for the year 2005). Other planned plants include Juale and Pwalugu. Upgrading projects at the Akosombo and Kpong plants could provide an additional 120 MW of capacity.

Unusually dry weather in recent years has resulted in low inflows into Ghana’s major hydro developments on the Volta River. This decreased inflow has resulted in reduced generation at the country’s hydropower plants. To cope with the reduced flows and generation, the VRA imposed load shedding in 12-hour shifts. Supplies to some the country’s main mining and manufacturing companies had to be reduced during these periods. Development of the proposed plants would ease the situation but these projects are currently only in the planning stages.