TERIA Foundation calls for urgent electricity extension to communities in Awutu Senya West

The TERIA Foundation, a civil society organisation based in Anomawobi in the Awutu Senya West District of the Central Region, has appealed to the government and relevant energy authorities to urgently extend reliable electricity to Anomawobi, Djankrom, Gongon, Yamoah Nkwanta, and surrounding communities.

The Foundation said the persistent lack of reliable electricity in the affected communities was undermining economic activities, small businesses, education, livelihoods, and broader community development.

Founder of TERIA Foundation, Mr. Walter Mawuli Gli, said access to reliable electricity was fundamental to sustainable development and urged authorities to ensure that underserved communities were not left behind in Ghana’s development agenda.

According to him, electricity access should be treated not only as an energy-sector concern but also as a critical development issue with implications for employment, education, healthcare, business growth, digital connectivity, and household livelihoods.

Linking community advocacy to SDG 7 and Mission 300

The Foundation said its advocacy was consistent with Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7), which seeks to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

It also linked its campaign to the Mission 300 initiative, which seeks to connect 300 million people across Africa to electricity by 2030.

TERIA Foundation said its participation in civil society networks, including the Ghana Alliance of CSOs on Mission 300, the Alliance of CSOs for Clean Energy in West Africa, and the CSO Platform on SDG 7, had strengthened its commitment to ensuring that national and international energy-access commitments translated into tangible benefits for underserved communities.

Foundation draws on community energy monitoring experience

The organisation said its current advocacy was also informed by previous community-level engagements on electricity access.

In 2024, TERIA Foundation was among civil society organisations that visited the islands of Atigagome and Wayokope in the Sene East area of the Bono Region to monitor mini-grid systems supported by the World Bank.

The exercise focused on assessing how the mini-grid systems were benefiting residents, identifying challenges affecting their use and making recommendations to improve their impact on the beneficiary communities.

TERIA Foundation said the experience deepened its understanding of the importance of reliable and sustainable electricity access, particularly in underserved communities, while highlighting the need for continued civil society monitoring and advocacy.

Mr. Gli stressed that communities such as Anomawobi, Djankrom, Gongon and Yamoah Nkwanta deserved urgent attention if Ghana were to make meaningful progress towards universal energy access.

“If we are serious about achieving SDG 7, advancing Mission 300, and ensuring that no community is left behind, Anomawobi, Djankrom, Gongon and Yamoah Nkwanta must receive the attention they deserve,” he said.

Calls for coordinated intervention

The Foundation has therefore called on the Government of Ghana, the Ministry responsible for Energy, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the Awutu Senya West District Assembly, and development partners to collaborate to address the electricity needs of the affected communities.

It said providing reliable electricity could help stimulate local businesses, improve educational opportunities, strengthen healthcare delivery, create employment opportunities, and expand access to digital services.

TERIA Foundation urged stakeholders to treat the electricity situation as an urgent community development concern and work towards ensuring that Anomawobi, Djankrom, Gongon, Yamoah Nkwanta, and neighbouring communities benefit from Ghana’s efforts to achieve universal energy access and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Foundation reiterated its commitment to advocating for inclusive community development and ensuring that underserved communities have a voice in decisions affecting their development.