Kenyan delegation visit Ghana

Accra, March 17, GNA - A five-member Kenyan delegation is in the country to understudy Ghana's rural electricity programme to replicate the successes in that country.

The delegation, led by Mr. Origa Ogutu, member of the newly established Kenya Electrification Authority, Monday visited the Ministry of Energy to acquaint themselves with the operations there. The outcome of the visit would inform the members on a master plan on the provision of electricity being drafted for Kenya. Other members of the delegation are Engineers Edwin Wasunna, Noah Oketch and Mrs Njeri Kahiu, all members of the Board and Mr Simon Kirui, an economist with the Kenyan Ministry of Energy. Mr Ogutu told Deputy Energy Minister, Mr Kwame Apofo Twumasi who received the delegation that only 10 per cent of the rural community in Kenya was linked to the national grid, even though that country started its electrification programme 35 years ago.

He said the government, in its effort to improve upon the situation established the Authority with the mandate, among others to link 20 percent of the rural community to the national grid as well as ensure that 40 percent of the same community were linked in 10 years. He indicated that the delegation selected Ghana and Morocco to understudy them because the two countries had best stories among other African countries, adding that, other teams were also visiting Chile and Argentina as well as Philippines and Thailand to learn their practices. According to Mr. Ogutu, with Ghana's success story of 54 percent of the population linked to the national grid, there were a lot to be examined and put into practice in their country to help Kenya "bring life to the rural folks".

The leader also commended President John Agyekum Kufuor for intervening in the Kenyan post-election crisis, which had helped put the country back on track, adding, "there is now peace in the country and normal activities are going on". Mr. Twumasi on his part welcomed the idea of selecting Ghana as a pacesetter in Africa and said much of her success could be attributed to the self-help electrification programme (SHEP) and others which was introduced by government that ensured that most of the rural communities were linked up.

He said Ghana relied both on the state, multilateral and bilateral sources for funding for its electrification programmes, explaining that, for instance Ghana depended mainly on electricity poles produced locally which was one of the best in the world. He therefore recommended to the delegation to consider patronising the poles for their electrification project when the need arose. The delegation would visit the Energy Commission, Energy Foundation, Public Utility Regulation Commission (PURC), the Volta River Authority and the Electricity Company of Ghana.