ABSTRACT
Aside the need to protect the environment, poverty reduction has been the most urgently pursued development issue of the 21st century. Efforts to reduce poverty, however, received a boost with the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000. Ghana mainstreamed the MDGs into its development processes by preparing and implementing several medium-term poverty reduction frameworks, such as the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS I); the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II); and the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA I and II). Interestingly, these various poverty reduction papers paid little attention to the issue of improved energy supply and the links it should the issue of poverty. This study, seeks to understand the extent to which the recurring energy crisis afflicting Ghana impacts on poverty reduction efforts by reviewing major documents, policy briefs and publications around the topic. The study qualitatively established that Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decreases with worsening energy crisis, with varying impacts on incomes, jobs and the livelihoods of the general population. As such it is recommended that government and other stakeholders find an appropriate combination of interventions involving hydro, solar, thermal and wind systems to generate accessible, affordable and reliable energy services to the greatest number of Ghanaians as a way of helping reduce poverty.
