Ghana has officially broken ground on one of its most ambitious clean energy projects yet, a 200-megawatt-peak (MWp) solar power plant in the Dawa Industrial Enclave, Greater Accra Region.
The project, led by Solar for Industries Limited (SFI), a subsidiary of Ghanaian conglomerate LMI Holdings Ltd, marks a major step in Ghana’s push for sustainable industrial power.
Backed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and supported by partners like Enclave Power Company, John Murphy Construction, China International Water and Electric Corp (CIWE), and SgurrEnergy, this project represents both energy ambition and industrial strategy.
A Two-Phase Rollout
The solar park will be developed in two main phases:
- Phase 1: 100 MWp, expected by December 2026, equivalent to around 2% of Ghana’s total electricity supply.
- Phase 2: Another 100 MWp, scheduled nine months later.
By 2032, the facility is expected to expand to 1,000 MWp, making it one of the largest solar projects in West Africa.
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How big is 1,000 MWp, really?
- 1 MW of solar can power roughly 1,000 homes in Africa, depending on consumption patterns.
- So, a 1,000 MWp solar plant could power close to 1 million homes or several large industrial zones and manufacturing hubs.
That’s a massive boost for Ghana, where electricity demand continues to grow and industries in special zones like Dawa need stable, affordable energy to stay competitive.
The Bigger Picture: Why Location Matters
The project’s location inside the Dawa Industrial Enclave is no coincidence. It’s a deliberate play to power industrial growth directly from renewable sources.
Instead of feeding solar power into the national grid and hoping it reaches factories, this setup puts generation right next to consumption. It’s efficient and a smart way to keep industrial power prices predictable.
It’s also a quiet admission that Africa’s power challenge is about reliability and cost. Solar built near industrial users eliminates transmission losses and grid delays. In other words, it’s an industrial competitiveness project.
How much will it cost?
While the total project cost hasn’t been disclosed, the going rate for utility-scale solar in Africa is about USD 900,000 to 1.3 million per megawatt.
That means the 200-MW phase could cost roughly USD 180–260 million, with the full 1,000-MW plan potentially topping USD 1 billion by 2032.
That’s a serious vote of confidence in Ghana’s energy stability and long-term growth story.
As President John Dramani Mahama said during the groundbreaking:
“Every light that shines from this Solar Park will illuminate not just the factories and homes, but the aspirations of millions of Ghanaians whose dreams rely on energy and power.”
Beyond the poetry, he’s right. Reliable, affordable power is the oxygen of any modern economy.
This project shows a maturing energy strategy: move renewables closer to industry, make them bankable through international financing, and scale them progressively rather than all at once.
It’s the kind of thinking that could make Ghana a regional hub for sustainable manufacturing, clean power feeding real factories, not just statistics on a climate report.
