Rural Electrification And The Shea Industry In The Bongo District Of Ghana

ABSTRACT

This study ties access to rural electrification (RE) services with productivity and rural industrialization in Ghana. The benefit of grid-electricity is pivotal to rural economic growth. The increasing recognition of RE as a source of sustainable energy for agro processing and MSE activities translates into productive use beyond lighting. This variance is embedded in the fact that RE access is woefully inadequate for productive activities among MSEs and agro-processing industries in rural areas. A vital case has been that if the MSEs have access to grid-electricity on regular bases in production centres, productivity will be enhanced and rural industrial growth expanded. Therefore, facilitating the provision of RE (i.e., grid-electricity) infrastructure is one sure way of modernizing processing activities in the Shea-industry in Ghana. Lately, the sheatree/butter industry has appeared as a hopeful economic product and has achieved international recognition as the second most important oil crop/industry in Africa after the palm nut tree. The shea nut is consumed as household food, used for industrial purposes and an important foreign exchange earning export. Thus, the potential of the industry has informed the study,which sought to assess the impact of rural electrification on the Shea processing industry in Bongo District of Ghana. The case study approach was adopted using purposive, snowball and random sampling procedures in selecting respondents from six communities; Bongo Soe, Apatanga, Beo, Adaboya, Namoo and Dua in Bongo districts based on their similarities, accessibility of the Shea tree and consideration of RE access for Shea productive ventures. Respondents from the six selected communities included twenty (20) women beneficiaries of RE as well as ten (10) women non-beneficiaries of RE from each community, making a total of One Hundred and Eighty (180) interviewed. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The main findings of the study are that RE contributed significantly in boosting production levels, improved marketability and promoted the mechanization and efficiency of the Shea industry in spite of some challenges in the study area. The critical challenge that restrained Shea-processors regular access to electricity in the Shea industry were the insufficiency of power supply, unaffordable power rates, high cost of maintenance as well as cost of appliances/machines. Important commendations from the study is that the Government and Electricity service providers to support women processors by providing regular and reliable power supply and other services such that they can improve their productivity and expand markets.