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Salma Okonkwo is the founder of Blue Power Energy, an alternative energy conglomerate developing a $200 million solar farm project in Northern Ghana. Blue Power is currently developing the first 40 megawatts of solar capacity in Bui, Ghana. Prior to Blue Power, Salma built UBI Group, a billion-dollar conglomerate in Ghana’s downstream oil and gas downstream sector. UBI Group is the only Ghanaian company to date to fully integrate its operations across the value chain of the downstream petroleum sector.
Salma is currently the managing director of UBI Petroleum; founder and chairwoman of Puma Energy Ghana; founder and board member of BlueStar Exploration; and Ghana Country Director for Sahara Energy.
Mr. Speaker, the transition to renewable energy in Africa has accelerated impressively over the last decade with countries like Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa working to increase renewable energy capacity in recent years.
Ghana with its significant renewable resources and robust policy framework cannot afford to be left behind.
A well-resourced and properly constituted renewable resource authority is needed to drive Ghana’s renewable agenda and support post-pandemic recovery through targeted and deliberate action. The time is now!
Mr. Speaker, a report by International Renewable Agency in 2019: ‘Scaling up Renewable Energy Deployment in Africa’, noted that the continent is endowed with substantial renewable energy resources, and it positioned to adopt innovative sustainable technologies and play a leading role in global action to shape the future of sustainable energy.