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03.04.2007 General News

Go For Solar Energy - Frimpong-Boateng

By Daily Graphic
Go For Solar Energy  - Frimpong-Boateng
03.04.2007 LISTEN

The Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has called for an aggressive programme to begin the manufacture and use of solar panels for domestic use to reduce the burden on the national electricity grid.

He said the country's engineers must develop simple technologies to facilitate the day-to-day lives of the people.

Prof Frimpong-Boateng was delivering the third in a series of lectures organised by the Western Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) as part of activities marking Ghana's Golden Jubilee in Takoradi.

He stressed the need for the development of alternative energy sources to remedy the current crisis which the country was going through, adding that solar, geo-thermal, micro dams, wind energy, biogas, ocean thermal energy converter (OTEC), as well as bio-diesel, should be promoted throughout the country to curtail the annual energy crisis.

To facilitate that, Prof Frimpong-Boateng stressed the need for the establishment of a well-equipped technical university to support the production of tools.

“All districts must also have well-equipped polytechnics with the requisite machinery to manufacture, re-design and mould technologies appropriate to the Ghanaian environment,” he said.

He expressed regret that while the advanced countries were developing and using alternative energy sources, African countries were still relying on hydro-electric dams.

Prof Frimpong-Boateng charged Ghanaians to "venture" into areas which would help to solve the country's problems.

He noted that although the Western Region was endowed with natural resources, it lacked the requisite infrastructure and urged the chiefs, churches, individuals, as well as district chief executives, to play their roles to improve conditions in the region.

The Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Philip K. Nkrumah, stressed the determination of the various district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies to do their best to ensure national development.

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