I am committed to working with Huawei and other partners to transform lives - Rebecca Akufo-Addo
Ghana's First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has assured Huawei and other industry partners of her commitment to work closely to help bridge the gender divide and transform the lives of Ghanaians.
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The first lady said this when she addressed the Huawei 2023 Sustainability Forum, which was part of the 3rd Edition of the Corporate Sustainability Development (CSD) Forum held in Dongguan, China, on November 21, 2023.
In her address, Mrs. Akufo-Addo celebrated Ghana's groundbreaking role in the energy sector and highlighted Ghana's achievement as the first West African nation to establish a 404MW floating Hydro-Solar hybrid plant managed by the Bui Power Authority at Banda in the Bono Region.
Showcasing Ghana's commitment to sustainable development, the First lady emphasised the project's significant impact on Ghana's energy infrastructure and job creation agenda in the Bono Region.
Over 800 people, including women, have been trained and employed at the Bui Cashew Limited factory which relies on the energy produced from the Hydro-Solar hybrid plant to fuel its heavy machinery and enhance efficiency and productivity.
About the Ghana HSH Plant and the 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.
Bui Cashew Limited, is a cashew factory which covers an expansive area of about 2000m2 and has the capacity to produce 6-8 tonnes of cashew nut a day.
The world is going green
Speaking about the broader context of sustainability, Mrs Akufo-Addo noted, "The world is going green, and projects such as the hydro-solar hybrid plant show that Ghana is on the right path towards the realisation of a sustainable and eco-friendly digital future."
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Mrs Akufo-Addo expressed her gratitude for Huawei's substantial contributions to Ghana's economic growth stating that the partnership has contributed in the training of over 6000 students and traders in a period of two years.
"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 said.
The First Lady welcomed the dynamism introduced by the cashew factory initiative, and expressed confidence in its potential to further improve the success of the partnership and commended key partners of the programme including Meinergy- owners of the factory, Bui Power Authority, and Huawei, for their collective efforts in supporting employment opportunities, particularly for women.
"I would like to commend the Bui Power Authority, Meinergy who owns the factory, and Huawei for contributing their quota in support of this initiative to create employment opportunities for Ghanaians, especially women," she said.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo concluded her address by reaffirming her office's commitment to working closely with Huawei and other industry partners to bridge the gender divide and transform the lives of Ghanaians.
About Huawei 2023 Sustainability Forum
The Huawei 2023 Sustainability Forum was hosted by Huawei and aimed at highlighting innovative global sustainable development projects, that leverage digital applications for sustainability in remote locations. The forum, organized in collaboration with international organizations, governments, think tanks, and industry stakeholders, showcased Huawei's advanced technologies and their contributions to the environment and business world. This year's event is the 3rd edition of the Corporate Sustainability Development (CSD) Forum held in Dongguan, China, on November 21, 2023.
This year's forum also showcased other sustainable innovations around the world powered by Huawei technology. In Brazilian state of Amazonas, where Huawei partnered a regional telecoms operator Veloso Net to build stable networks that provide coverage in more than 90 remote cities with residents who previously had no wireless access thereby boosting the local digital economy. In Pakistan, under the Smart Villages initiative which aims to modernize isolated rural communities in Pakistan and drive sustainable digital growth and development.