ACCRA, GHANA — The Ghanaian government is set to introduce solar-powered irrigation pumps as a key part of its strategy to enhance agricultural productivity and reduce the country’s reliance on rain-fed farming. This new initiative was announced by the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, at the seventh meeting of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) regional committee for Africa.
Speaking to the media, Minister Jinapor explained that the project is a collaborative effort with the ISA, drawing inspiration from India’s successful model. “We want to work to deploy solar irrigation pumps across the country,” he said. “For some part of the country, for close to like six months during the dry season, because our farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture, they virtually have nothing to do.”
He added that with the new pumps, “Ghanaians will be able to engage in productive all year round farming.”
The announcement comes as the International Solar Alliance is accelerating its support for solar solutions across the continent. At the same meeting, ISA Director-General Ashish Khanna revealed a new $200 million African Solar Facility (ASF) designed to de-risk solar investments and mobilize local resources and private capital. The first $75 million of this fund is slated to be operational in Nigeria by the end of 2025.
The ministerial session of the meeting focused on leveraging local financial systems to support renewable energy and reinforcing public-private partnerships to implement projects effectively. The discussions highlighted that the ASF will serve as a crucial instrument for creating scalable and sustainable solar projects.
Source: Citinewsroom