The government has announced plans to replace conventional, grid-powered streetlights with solar-powered systems across the country as part of efforts to improve the reliability of public lighting.

Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, said the decision would reduce the impact of faults on individual streetlights, since solar-powered units can operate independently of one another.

He said all new road projects and streetlight replacement works would now prioritise solar-powered systems, with the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, leading the nationwide transition.

“Government has taken a decision to replace all streetlights with solar. With solar, even if one is damaged, the others can work,” Mr Agbodza said.

He added that the government would no longer install main-grid-powered streetlights as part of new projects, describing the move as a full-scale transition to solar energy for street lighting.

Mr Agbodza also disclosed that the recent failure of traffic lights at the Tema end of the Accra-Tema Motorway was not caused by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), contrary to initial suspicions.

According to him, investigations showed that underground cables serving the traffic-light system had been removed, leaving the government with the task of engaging a new contractor to completely rewire the system.

The Minister said the shift to solar-powered streetlights was expected to provide a more resilient lighting system while reducing dependence on the national electricity grid.