The First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Rebecca Akufo-Addo has commended tech giant, Huawei for contributing extensively to the establishment of a 404MW floating HydroSolar Hybrid plant in Bui to help create greater employment opportunities in the cashew industry.
Delivering her remarks at the 2023 Sustainability Forum organised by Huawei in Dongguan, China, on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, Rebecca Akufo-Addo highlighted the impact of the cashew manufacturing unit which has created jobs for over 800 citizens, mainly girls in the Bono Region.
“This cashew plant will now not solely supply employment possibilities however additionally equip beneficiaries with the imperative skillset to make a residing on their own. The world is going inexperienced and initiatives such as the hydro-solar hybrid plant exhibit that Ghana is on the proper path, closer to the attention of a sustainable and eco-friendly digital future,” she said.
Economic transformation
In her address, she emphasized that Ghana is making sustainable strides in the development of infrastructure and other critical sectors in the economy, of which the Bui Cashew manufacturing facility is one of them.
“Ghana has made significant strides in advocating for sustainability across the various sectors of the economy. In the energy sector, Ghana is the first West Africa country to build a floating HydroSolar Hybrid plant, as part of efforts in diversifying its energy mix”, the First Lady added as she spoke under the theme, “Thrive Together with Tech: Realizing Sustainable Development.”
Huawei’s collaboration
Rebecca Akufo-Adddo stated the good works of Huawei in creating jobs and enhancing the potential of thousands of women in rural areas is a panacea to tackling rising unemployment levels.
While lauding the Huawei’s initiative, she pledged her office’s unflinching support to help bridge the gender, technology and joblessness divides in Ghana.
“My office is grateful for this collaboration, dynamism is an essential tool in the achievement of success, the cashew factory initiative introduces a more enhanced dynamism to our partnership with Huawei. I therefore believe that this cashew factory will build on the successes we have achieved as partners and contribute to the realization of a new rural economy where no one is left behind.”
“Huawei is indeed contributing meaningfully to stimulating the Ghanaian economy. I can truly say that my office’s experience working with Huawei has been encouraging. Together, we have worked tirelessly in building the skills capacity of females in rural areas, over 6000 students and traders have been trained in a period of two years,” she noted.
She applauded the support from Bui Power Authority and Meinergy – operators of the factory by contributing their quota.
About Ghana HSH Plant and Cashew Project
The plant makes use of Huawei’s Smart Photovoltaic (PV) Solution that is, the smart inverter solution, Battery Energy Storage Solution (BESS) and the Smart Transformer Station (STS) to store and ensure stable and reliable supply of electricity when water levels of the Bui Dam are low, especially during the dry season.
The reliable and stable supply of energy from the hydro-solar hybrid plant led to the birth a new venture; Bui Cashew Limited, located within the Bui enclave covering an expansive area of about 2000 m2.
Bui Cashew Limited is a cashew factory which has the capacity of producing 6 -8 tons of cashew nut a day.
Beneficiaries will undergo training in the planting, preservation and the processing of cashew from its raw state to valuable products like cashew oil, cashew butter etc.
The establishment of the Hydro-solar Hybrid plant comes as part of the Government’s drive to diversify the country’s energy mix, scale up energy access for all and place Ghana on a low carbon development pathway to ensure sustainable development.
Huawei 2023 Sustainable Development Forum
The forum was to showcase best sustainable development projects across the globe and was in partnership with international organizations, government, think thanks, career and global industry stakeholders.
It sought to demonstrate environmental and business value, by explaining how the innovative digital applications of Huawei and its partners enable sustainable development in remote areas.
In showcasing this project, best cases were selected from Asia, Europe, America and Africa.
In the African Region, the Government of Ghana’s renewable energy project on West Africa’s first floating
Hydro-Solar Hybrid (HSH) plant has been selected as the case to share among global peers focusing on the transformational impact this initiative is making in energy industry.