Ing. Seth Mahu, Director of Renewable Energy and Green Transition at the Ministry of Energy, has underscored renewable energy mini-grids as a cost-effective and sustainable solution to achieving universal electricity access in Ghana by 2030.

He made this known during a Renewable Energy Webinar under the Renewable Lecture Series, organised by The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre (TBHEC), KNUST, in collaboration with the Renewable Energy and Green Transition Directorate of the Ministry of Energy, under the theme “Last Mile Electrification: The Role of Renewable Energy Mini-Grids.

He explained that while Ghana has made significant progress in expanding electricity access through grid extension and intensification, reaching remote and underserved communities remains a major challenge due to rising costs and logistical constraints.

“By 2030, we want to connect everybody in Ghana to one form of electricity or the other. Over the years, the strategy has been to deploy access through grid extension and intensification,” he said.

He, however, noted that alternative approaches are increasingly necessary to close the remaining access gap.

“To reach people and communities with wires is becoming so expensive,” he added.

Ing. Mahu emphasized that renewable energy mini-grids present a more efficient and viable option for last-mile electrification. He further outlined six key strategic considerations for the successful deployment of mini-grid systems and urged researchers to intensify work in the renewable energy space to support national electrification efforts.

“These six factors are very important parameters we need to consider if we have to make this last-mile electrification a big success for Ghana,” he said.

The Coordinator of the Renewable Energy Webinar, Dr. Charles Sekyere, highlighted the persistent challenges in providing reliable electricity to remote communities and described mini-grids as a compelling solution.

“Reaching the final hardest-to-serve communities with reliable electrification remains one of the challenges of our time. Renewable energy mini-grids have emerged as a compelling solution,” he said.

The Director of The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre, Professor David Ato Quansah, described electricity access as a critical development issue with implications for health and livelihoods.

“In the field of medicine, electricity is needed to preserve vaccines and anti-snake venom medications,” he said.

He noted that Ghana currently has about 90 percent electricity access, adding that achieving full coverage would require innovative and targeted interventions.