By Abbas Nazil
Ghana’s updated Renewable Energy Master Plan for 2026 to 2030 is setting significantly higher targets for solar and wind power, but the country’s previous implementation record and unresolved institutional challenges could make the new ambitions difficult to achieve.
The revised plan builds on the 2019 Renewable Energy Master Plan, which was designed to guide renewable energy development through 2030 across solar, wind, biomass and hydropower.
The earlier plan targeted an increase in renewable energy generation capacity from 42.5 megawatts in 2015 to more than 1,363 megawatts, including over 1,094 megawatts from grid-connected systems.
It also sought to expand decentralised electricity access, reduce dependence on biomass for thermal applications and promote greater local participation in the renewable energy industry.
The updated plan sets a target of 852 megawatt-peak of utility-scale solar and 709 megawatt-peak of utility-scale wind between 2026 and 2030.
Achieving the solar target is estimated to require about $631 million in investment, while the wind target is expected to require approximately $999 million.
The plan also places Ghana’s total investment requirement for the 2026-2030 implementation cycle at about $10.8 billion, nearly twice the $5.6 billion investment projected for the entire implementation period of the 2019 plan.
The scale of the new financial requirement has raised questions about how Ghana will mobilise the capital needed to translate the targets into operating projects, particularly because financing was already identified as a major constraint during the earlier implementation cycles.
Performance under the previous plan has been mixed, with stronger progress recorded in some distributed renewable energy applications than in utility-scale projects.
Utility-scale solar capacity was expected to reach 347.5 megawatt-peak by the end of the second implementation cycle, but actual deployment stood at 183.1 megawatt-peak, representing about 53 per cent of the target.
Distributed solar performed better, reaching 86 megawatt-peak against a target of 100 megawatt-peak, equivalent to 86 per cent progress.
Utility-scale wind, however, recorded no deployment against a target of 275 megawatt-peak by the end of the 2021-2025 cycle.
The weak performance in utility-scale wind presents a particularly significant challenge because the updated plan now seeks to add 709 megawatt-peak of utility-scale wind capacity within only five years.
The updated master plan also identifies institutional weaknesses that have affected implementation.
A Renewable Energy Authority proposed under the earlier plan has yet to become operational, while the Renewable Energy Fund has also faced challenges that have affected its ability to provide financial support for renewable energy development.
A coordinating unit for the master plan has also not been established, with uncertainty over whether it should be located within the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition or the Energy Commission contributing to the delay.
The absence of a fully operational coordination and monitoring structure has also affected data collection, reporting and evaluation of progress.
Despite these challenges, Ghana continues to expand its renewable energy ambitions.
The United Nations Development Programme said the updated master plan targets 852 megawatt-peak of utility-scale solar, 709 megawatt-peak of wind, 127 megawatts of new hydropower and 440 mini-grids for rural and island communities.
It also includes targets for 1.1 million solar lanterns, expanded biofuel production and improved cookstoves.
The plan is expected to require about $10.8 billion in investment and could create more than 353,000 jobs across manufacturing, installation, operations and research.
Ghana’s Energy Commission has also said the country intends to pursue its energy transition at its own pace, with energy efficiency, renewable energy and nuclear power forming key elements of the transition while natural gas serves as a strategic transitional fuel.
The Commission has identified increased utility-scale solar, energy-efficient technologies and electric mobility as part of the broader transition agenda.
Recent discussions among energy stakeholders have nevertheless highlighted financing as a central issue.
Stakeholders have called for financing mechanisms that can support Ghana’s transition without creating unsustainable debt burdens, while the government has said it is working with financial institutions, development finance institutions and multilateral banks to mobilise capital.
The Ministry has also said renewable energy capacity currently stands at about 342.5 megawatts across utility-scale, rooftop and stand-alone systems, with a target of more than 1,400 megawatts by 2030.
The implementation of the 2026-2030 master plan will therefore depend not only on the scale of its targets but also on Ghana’s ability to mobilise investment, strengthen institutions, improve monitoring and convert planned projects into operational renewable energy capacity.
The coming five years will provide a test of whether the lessons from the previous master plan can be translated into faster implementation and whether Ghana can close the gap between its renewable energy ambitions and actual deployment.
