Energy access indicators and trends in Ghana

Providing access to modern energy services for development is a daunting task which requires rigorous planning based on robust information. Energy access indicators enable measurement and monitoring of the progress of energy access expansion efforts, thus informing corrective efforts and efforts worth replicating. This paper reviews what has been proposed to constitute energy access and energy access indicators. The paper further reviews briefly the different types of energy access indicators and analyses access to modern energy in Ghana as measured using the energy access indicators employed in Ghana. The paper concludes that Ghana has achieved commendable access to modern energy services compared to her sub-Saharan peers but recommends further efforts to achieve the set targets of universal access to electricity by 2020 and 50% access to LPG by 2020. The paper finally recommends further work on the different types of indicators which are relevant for tracking energy access progress but are not currently employed in the country.