Mr. Opoku-Ahweneeh Danquah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), has urged African governments to work together to build an African strategy to address the continent's energy demands.
The main obstacle to a shared energy policy in Africa, according to Mr. Danquah, who is attending the 2023 Africa Development Conference (ADC) at Harvard University in the United States, is a lack of political will to put an organised framework in place throughout the whole continent.
Moreover, an analysis of the situation in Africa would show that there is now a policy overload, with each nation taking different stances on how to progress the continent's energy agenda, the official added.
The fact that Africa is still a vast continent with many countries endorsing fragmented notions on how to address the energy demands of our own countries, he continued, hinders development as much as it is vital to pull each other towards the achievement of our energy goals.
Because there are now too many moving elements and a variety of tactics being used by various governments and administrations, Mr. Danquah urged for increased international cooperation in simplifying energy designs.
Further, he said that while African nations must lead with clear policies and paths, genuine achievement won't come until strong measures are implemented to support them.
The GNPC CEO went on to explain that Ghana is one of only a handful of countries south of the Sahara that is on track to achieving complete access to electricity. In addition, Ghana is frantically using its natural gas resources to power homes and businesses in addition to what is typical in many other African states.
Since it is producing results, he continued, "Ghana can be held up as an example of a country with a clearly defined energy direction, that can be emulated by others."
Speaking as the event's featured speaker, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia discussed his thoughts on the subject of envisioning Africa's development on our terms.
He said that the revolutionary potential of technology lies at the core of this idea. According to him, the biggest obstacle to Africa's development is our inability to address the fundamental issues that underlie our economic activities, such as the lack of a population-wide unique identity, functional property address systems, financial inclusion, payment systems, and efficient public service delivery.
Vice President Dr. Bawumia stated, "We have been attempting to restructure our economy without data and transparent processes for many years after independence. African nations are unable to engage in the fourth industrial revolution without data and systems.
The Vice President argues that Africans need to break free from the constraints of an impossible mindset in order for the continent to reach its full potential and distinguish itself.
The two-day conference, "Reimagining Africa's Development On Our Terms," concluded on Sunday, April 16, 2023.
The 2023 ADC, now in its 14th year at Harvard University, provides a forum for promoting cross-cultural dialogue on the key challenges affecting Africa's development.
The conference strengthens partnerships between governments and investors in rebranding and reshaping Africa in the international development arena by bringing influential players together to discuss and share progressive policies and practises. It is intended to support Africa's accelerated structural transformation.
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