Kwaku Osei Bonsu, GNA Special Correspondent, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Nigeria has agreed to supply 80 megawatts of electricity to Ghana as part of a deal to help the country to address its current energy crisis.

Additionally, it has accepted to take over the supply of power to Benin and Togo, to take off the burden on Ghana and bring some relief to the country.

President John Agyekum Kufuor made the announcement when answering a question on how Ghana was tackling the energy problems it was facing, when he presented the country's implementation report on the African Peer Review Mechanisation recommendations at the Sixth Summit of the APRM Heads of State and Government Forum.

This was on the sidelines of the Eighth Africa Union"s ordinary session held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Ghana’s report received overwhelming commendation by the 25 States that have signed up to the APRM.

President Kufuor said Nigeria through the West Africa Power Pool, which comes on-stream in February, 2007 would be increasing its electricity supply to Ghana.

Ghana’s energy requirement is put at 2,000 megawatts and its present total generation mix comes up to 1,200 megawatts, 69 per cent of which is from hydroelectric sources and 30.4 per cent from fossil fuels.

The Akosombo hydroelectric dam has a generating capacity of 912 megawatts while that of Kpong is 160 megawatts.

Ninety-Nine percent of the electricity consumption in Ghana is supplied by the Volta River Authority.

President Kufuor said with the Power Pool Agreement, Ghana, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire would put their electricity generation into a pool so that in the event of a shortfall in any of the countries, it would fall on it to avoid crisis situation.

He said the country on its own was also taking some measures to boost its energy generation and cited plans to construct the 400-megawatts capacity Bui Dam.

He expressed the hope that the inauguration of the West Africa Gas Pipeline Project in March, 2007, would significantly enhance the operation of the Osagyefo Barge.

President Kufuor said Ghana again was exploring other alternative sources including solar and bio-diesel.