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The Australian Government intends install solar panels for residents of Siamekome community in Ghana.
- The Australian High Commissioner visited the island to determine the feasibility of deploying off-grid electricity on the island.
- The Australian government plans to invest about GH¢160,000 in the project.
The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Gregory Andrews, has stated that the embassy will install solar panels for residents of Siamekome, a fishing island community in the middle of the Volta river. Last week, the High Commissioner visited the island to assess the situation and determine the feasibility of deploying off-grid electricity on the island after a viral report about how school children utilise phone flashlights to study at night.
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Due to the remote nature of Siamekome in the heart of the Volta River, it is not economically feasible to connect the Island to the grid. Mr Andrews, while speaking with community elders United that while people in Australia and Ghana’s capital Accra have the privilege of switching a button to access electricity, the community ofSiamekome has slept in darkness all these years. The High Commissioner stated that the Australian government would prioritise providing electricity access to the community. It plans to invest about GH¢160,000 to provide off-grid energy access to the community.
The community members were elated at the news highlighting that this would be the first time the island will have electricity.