Ghana President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Eni’s CEO Claudio Descalzi met in Accra to discuss Eni’s operational activities in the country
In addition, they also discussed how Ghana can play the frontrunner role in the partnership Eni had signed with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The partnership aims to combine efforts on the development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, forestry and clean cooking initiatives in Africa.
The partnership intends to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in particular SDG seven on affordable and clean energy, SDG 13 on climate actions and SDG 15 on land management and afforestation.
Improving energy access, particularly in Africa, is at the core of Eni’s values. Eni invests more than half of its budget in Africa, boosting the domestic potential and promoting local development.
The US$7bn investment in the integrated offshore cape three points (OCTP) project will deliver stable, secure, reliable, and affordable volumes of gas to feed Ghana’s power plants for more than 20 years.
The use of domestic gas will enable Ghana to cut the use of liquid fuel, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 per cent and limit the more expensive gas. Eni has destined more than US$15mn for a comprehensive sustainability programme, including economic diversification, education, water and sanitation, and health activities, and is engaged in the development of solar power projects in the country.
In the framework of the partnership signed between Eni and UNDP, the first area that will be developed together is reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) initiative.
Community-based activities will be proposed in order to increase agricultural productivity, introduce agroforestry schemes and generate revenue from non timber forest products that contribute to the diversification and development of the local economy.