French Team To Start Feasibility Study On Mini Dams (Centre Page)

Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah, Ajomoro Ashiem. (January 9, 2008)
A team of consultants from a French consulting engineering firm, Coyner et Bellier, is expected in the country this week to begin feasibility studies for the construction of mini hydro dams on the Pra, Ankobra and Tano rivers in the Central and Western regions.
Coyner et Bellier specialises in the designing, construction and supervision of large infrastructural projects such as hydraulic and hydropower dams.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, at the weekend inspected the potential project sites together with Mr William Oppong Bio, the Executive Chairman of Super Care Group, the local representatives of Sinohydro Company of China, and Mr Liu Aisheng, an engineer with the company, who is currently working on the Bui Dam project in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The team visited the site along the River Pra at Assin Awisa in the Twifu Hemang-Lower Denkyira District in the Central Region and Sekyere Heman in the Mpohor Wassa East District in the Western Region.
The team was later joined by the district chief executives (DCEs) for Agona West and Nzema East, Mr Kwesi Biney and Mr Joshua Ellemah, respectively, as well as Ms Katherine Afeko, the Government Spokesperson on Infrastructure, and inspected a site along the River Ankobra at Ajomoro Ashiem in the Nzema East District and the Tano River at Tanoso, near Elubo in the Jomoro District, both in the Western Region.
Mr Aisheng told the Daily Graphic at Agona Nkwanta, the capital of the Agona West District, that a study conducted more than a decade ago indicated that the three proposed mini dams had the potential of supplying about 250 megawatts of electric power.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the government had begun negotiations with the Chinese government to help in the construction of the dams to supplement the energy needs of the country.
He said it was important for the country to explore all avenues in the area of energy generation to prevent a recurrence of the energy crisis which the country went through last year.
Mr Baah-Wiredu pointed out that the country had not taken the issue of energy generation seriously for some time now, adding that out of the three areas of power generation, transmission and distribution, the country’s interest had for about 20 years only been on transmission and distribution, leaving out power generation.
He pointed out that the construction of the mini dams was mentioned in the 2008 budget statement, as well as the President’s New Year Message, and said the government was serious about the three projects.
The Finance Minister said a team which accompanied him to China to negotiate the Bui Dam Project in 2007 touched on the mini dams, adding that there were indications that the Chinese government would again support the government of Ghana in that direction.
In all the areas that the team visited, the people showed a keen interest in the projects and expressed the hope that the government would expedite action on them to provide employment for the youth.
When the team got to Sekyere Heman around 7.30 p.m., a group of more than 20 people quickly organised themselves with lanterns and torch lights to lead the team to the river bank for the inspection.
At Ajomoro Ashiem, a mini durbar was organised and Mr Baah-Wiredu asked the people not to be discouraged because the future held better prospects for all Ghanaians.
He touched on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the School Feeding Programme, the Capitation Grant and the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) as some of the initiatives by the government to help reduce the cost of living, especially for rural dwellers.
The Chief of Ajomoro Ashiem, Nana Akwenzra Acka, assured the government of his preparedness and that of his people to support the construction of the dam on their land.