Working papers etc.

Discovery of oil and gas shaped the development of Ghana’s energy sector

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Illustration: Comdas / Shutterstock

Decision-makers’ concerns over energy security in combination with new oil and gas resource endowments decisively influenced the development of the Ghana’s energy sector. These domestic priorities became conspicuously clear with the discovery of oil and gas in 2007.

Back then, the development of Ghana’s petroleum resources was fast-tracked in order to improve access to cheap modern energy and promote economic development. By comparison, new forms of renewable energy like solar and wind had featured in Ghana’s energy planning but their share in the energy mix remained limited.

These are the main findings in a new paper by DIIS researcher Rasmus Hundsbæk Pedersen. Based on a literature review, the paper explores the political economy of renewable energy in Ghana with a particular focus on the role of development donors, who have been identified as potentially important actors in the promotion and deployment of new renewable energy.

The paper suggests that in Ghana coalitions between Western donors and domestic decision-makers with a shared interest in promoting new renewable energy emerged more than once, typically as a response to supply crises. However, the coalitions have been short-lived, partly due to the fragmented nature of Ghana’s energy sector governance. Decarbonisation does not appear to have been a major domestic priority. These developments mirror similar trends in many other lower-income African countries.

Regions
Ghana

DIIS Experts

Rasmus Hundsbæk Pedersen
Sustainable development and governance
Senior Researcher
91325504
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Towards a political economy of renewable energy in Ghana: A review