The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has pledged to reduce electricity tariffs by 50% if elected president in the 2024 general elections.

He explained that the ambitious reduction would be achieved by significantly expanding the nation’s reliance on solar energy as a primary power source.

Speaking at the Church of Pentecost in Teshie, Dr Bawumia emphasised that the current reliance on traditional fossil fuels and hydropower has led to fluctuating and, at times, unsustainable electricity costs for households and businesses.

To counter this, he said his government would prioritise the development of large-scale solar power projects across the country.

"I want Ghana to take a bold decision and move away from primary dependence on oil and gas and depend on solar power to generate electricity.

"God has gifted us energy from the sun, free of charge so we need to harness it. We would increase the power generated through solar by 2000MW and this would reduce electricity bills by 50%," he said on Thursday.

To achieve this, Dr Bawumia promised to empower the local manufacturing industry to build more solar panels to support the course.

"Generating this 2000MW would require a lot of solar panels and I don't want us to import solar panels so we will set up factories here in Ghana for the manufacturing of solar panels," he said amidst applause and cheers.

With the 2024 elections drawing near, Dr Bawumia has been touring the length and breadth of the country to spread his campaign message and secure the votes of the electorates.