Lack of intense, integrated planning part of energy crisis

Professor Kwesi Botchwey, Chairman of National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), says the Commission has launched a plan; conducted regional consultations with stakeholders; and are currently undergoing a technical and policy consultation to get a better view of the policy terrain in the energy sector.

“We are in this energy crisis because we didn’t plan ahead and we want to avoid a repetition of these problems by anticipating population growth, expansion of industries, demand and supply trajectory so that we can put together the infrastructure that we need to breach this gap”, he added.

Prof Botchwey said it was important to know what the MDAs are doing, vis-à-vis their ongoing/ long term plans to ensure they are properly aligned with the vision of the long term plans.

He spoke at a presentation of a report by the Ministries of Petroleum and Power on the state of fuel and energy consumption in the country and the vision of the sectors in the long term.

The sectors presented these matters during a policy consultation organized by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to find out what the sectors were doing as part of their core mission.

Representatives of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including the Petroleum Commission, National Petroleum Authority, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Ghana National Gas Company, Tema Oil Refinery, Bulk Oil Storage and Transport, Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited and Ghana Oil Company Limited participated in the meeting.