MP brings firewood to Parliament following unsuccessful pledge of rural electrification

General News on Thursday, November 29, 2018

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2018-11-29

An opposition member brandished firewood in Parliament to highlight the government's inability to provide electricity in her Kpando constituency in the Volta region.

Dela Sowah, who is also a member of the Energy Ranking Committee, also brought an oil lantern that rural communities use as a source of light.

Under the Akufo-Addo government, rural electrification has stagnated, she said, with coverage increasing by 1% in almost two years.

The NDC MP said the government in 2017 promised to extend electricity to more than 2,000 communities in the country.

The government managed "an embarrbading group" of 289 communities, reaching only 14.4% of its target communities.

It has selected 2018 forecasts for the power supply of nearly 1,800 communities, but only 122 communities have had access to electricity for the first time in their communities.

The government, she said, has developed a tendency to not achieve its own goals of electrification.

The record of this failure continues to weigh on women in her constituency, she complains. The MP from Kpando said women had to travel miles to distant communities just to grind corn – a staple that has many culinary uses.

Tuo Zaafi is a popular meal in her community, she said, but the stress of preparing food due to lack of electricity is becoming increasingly unbearable, the NDC MP noted.

"All they ask is to be connected to the power grid … they do not ask for much," said the MP.

Dela Sowah noted that the former NDC government, led by President John Mahama, was demonstrating increased commitment to rural electrification.

She claimed that the Mahama government had increased access to electricity in rural areas from 54% to 83% before losing electricity in December 2016.