[{"bbox": [83, 104, 1146, 292], "category": "Text", "text": "The key financial challenges of NEDCo are: (i) the low population density in northern Ghana, (ii) the small proportion of institutional clients likely to pay unregulated tariffs, (iii), illegal power connections and (iv) outdated networks. Lack of capital investment over the years has led to aged and overloaded assets of the company. Existing old distribution lines have been stretched without necessary network reinforcements, leading to a general unstable voltage and increased frequency of failures at substations. The need to upgrade and automate its distribution network have become critical and urgent. A proper network monitoring system such as Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) is part of the priority investment plan of NEDCo."}, {"bbox": [83, 316, 1146, 452], "category": "Text", "text": "NEDCo relies on government and donor support to upgrade its infrastructure. Several studies have been carried out highlighting the need for significant investments in the network. Some of these investments were to be financed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, before they withdrew from Ghana following the failure of the concession of ECG. As mentioned in the Renewable Energy Master Plan, women and gender experts are inadequately represented within private companies and management positions in the energy sector."}, {"bbox": [83, 478, 262, 503], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Main stakeholders"}, {"bbox": [83, 529, 1146, 637], "category": "Text", "text": "The final beneficiaries of support under this project will be the citizens of Ghana, as the end users and rights holders of electricity distributed by NEDCo in the Northern regions. In order to achieve the intended purposes, the main recipient of the action will be the Northern Electricity Distribution Company, NEDCo, and will adhere to the UN Guidelines on Business and Human rights."}, {"bbox": [83, 637, 408, 663], "category": "Text", "text": "The key stakeholders involved are:"}, {"bbox": [158, 665, 1146, 719], "category": "List-item", "text": "* **Northern Electricity Distribution:** NEDCo is a 100% subsidiary of VRA. NEDCo holds the distribution monopoly in the North of the country."}, {"bbox": [158, 719, 1146, 800], "category": "List-item", "text": "* **Volta River Authority (VRA):** as a long-standing public company in the sector, it remains a major player in the production of electricity. VRA's involvement would include bringing support to NEDCo through a non-sovereign loan from AFD, on-granted or on-lent to NEDCo."}, {"bbox": [158, 800, 1146, 960], "category": "List-item", "text": "* **VRA Academy** is an engineering training provider, offering continuous professional development courses in Power System Operations and Maintenance, Utility Management, Language for Power Business, Leadership, Finance and Secretarial skills. VRA Academy will participate in the organisational and institutional gender analysis, the participative development of the Gender Action Plan and the implementation of the Gender Action Plan that will be developed through the Gender Action Plan Study piloted by VRA Human Resources Department and financed by AFD Gender Facility."}, {"bbox": [158, 960, 1146, 1096], "category": "List-item", "text": "* **Ministry of Energy (MoE)** is responsible for formulating, monitoring and evaluating policies, programmes and projects in the energy sector supporting access to affordable and sustainable energy for all, including groups living in most vulnerable situations. It is also the institution in charge of the implementation of rural electrification. Participation of rights holders represented by local communities' organisations and people living in vulnerable situations is essential to develop fit for purpose solutions."}, {"bbox": [158, 1096, 1146, 1229], "category": "List-item", "text": "* **Ministry of Finance's (MoF) role** is to ensure effective economic policy management for the attainment of macroeconomic stability and sustainable economic growth through sound fiscal policy and efficient public financial management by deploying competent staff and robust systems for the development of Ghana. The MoF would be involved in securing a sovereign loan from the EIB (and other European partners), on-granted or on-lent to NEDCo."}, {"bbox": [158, 1229, 1146, 1363], "category": "List-item", "text": "* **Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI)** ensures the establishment of the regulatory framework and setting of standards to govern the activities of science and technology and the management of the environment for sustainable development; but also coordinates all planned programmes as well as budgets in the environment, science, technology and innovation sector of the economy."}, {"bbox": [83, 1388, 1146, 1469], "category": "Text", "text": "Indirectly, the Northern Development Authority and the Metropolitan Assembly of Tamale will be also important stakeholders and partners of the European Union. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Energy will be also involved in the planning of the intervention."}, {"bbox": [73, 1496, 580, 1530], "category": "Section-header", "text": "# 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION"}, {"bbox": [83, 1558, 488, 1592], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 3.1 Objectives and Expected Outputs"}, {"bbox": [1051, 1670, 1158, 1696], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 8 of 22"}]