Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has expressed optimism that the newly commissioned 430-kilometre natural gas pipeline in the Ashanti Region will significantly boost industrialization in the area.
The pipeline, initiated by Genser Energy, aims to enhance Ghana’s power sector and provide affordable energy to support various regional industries.
During the commissioning ceremony on Wednesday, April 17, Dr. Prempeh acknowledged the efforts of his predecessors in laying the groundwork for job creation and industrial development in the middle belt of the country.
He highlighted the strategic plan to extend the pipeline to Nyinanyini, ensuring a sustainable energy source for bauxite and refineries in the region.
The pipeline route also includes Nyinanyini, Kumasi, and back to Tema, providing a continuous supply of affordable energy to drive industrialization fuelled by gas.
The Energy Minister credited the private sector for expediting the pipeline’s construction to Kumasi, emphasizing the role of private capital in facilitating the project’s completion.
Dr. Prempeh commended his colleagues at the Ministry of Energy, including past Ministers John Peter Amewu and William Owuraku Aidoo, for their dedicated efforts in advancing the pipeline project before his tenure.
Dr. Prempeh expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts that led to the inauguration of the gas pipeline, emphasizing the importance of energy infrastructure in driving economic development and industrialization.
“When I became the Minister of Energy, the plan was well laid to extend the pipeline from Prestea to, in fact, Nyinanyini to ensure that affordable energy is created for the bauxite and refineries that are going to creep up in Nyinanyini.
“In fact, the plan included a pipeline from Nyinanyini through Kumasi, through Kyebi and back to Tema to ensure that industrialization would be driven by cheap energy fuelled by gas. What I may have done was to create the atmosphere where private sector capital will bring the pipeline to Kumasi faster, cheaper, and more efficiently.
“His Excellency the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who is the Chairman of the Economic Management Team, envisioned that the pipeline will move from Prestea through mining communities, including Nyinanyini. That conception had already been done before I got to the Ministry. I have to thank my colleagues in the Ministry before me, Minister Amewu, and Minister Owuraku, who had worked tirelessly to ensure that this happened.”
