Report by the Brew-Hammond Energy Centre at the Kwame Nkrumah University for Science and Technology indicates that the challenges of land litigation in the country are affecting investments in solar-powered energy projects.

This is been highlighted as one of the setbacks for Ghana in meeting the deadline for the energy transition process under the sustainable development goals.

At a dissemination workshop to share findings from the work, the Director of Brew-Hammond Energy Centre at KNUST, Dr. David Ato Quansah explained that the situation is more severe in the Greater Accra and other developed regions than in the northern part of the country.

The research by the Brew Hammond Energy Centre highlights some specific challenges of the land access and acquisition process in the country.

This situation is making Ghana uncompetitive as compared to neighbouring countries in attracting investors for renewable energy.

According to the Director of Brew-Hammond Energy Centre at KNUST, Dr. David Ato Quansah, multiple sales and multiple owners especially in areas around the southern sector dominate the discussion among investors coming into the country.

“Our research revealed a core challenge of multiple sales and concerns of litigation on most of the lands which has discouraged many investors unto our market. We recommended that the Lands Commission together with other related Ministries intervene and find a lasting solution because this is making Ghana non-competitive and we’re losing huge investments in the renewable energy development agenda. We realised that the situation is not so much in the Northern regions unlike what is happening in the Southern sector due to the respect for tradition and some form of discipline” he told Joy Business.

The Centre has made some recommendations to the government on ways to attract investments into the renewable energy space.

The report is expected to be submitted to the Ministry of Energy and the Energy Commission for onward review and implementation.