Mahama Announces Net Metering Policy to Let Businesses Sell Solar Power to Grid
President Mahama has announced plans to introduce net metering in Ghana, a policy that would allow businesses to sell surplus solar energy back to the national grid. The move creates a formal solar monetisation pathway for commercial operators and is a direct enabler for cleantech founders building distributed energy solutions.
Net Metering: an announcement is not yet a bill
The mechanism Mahama described at Northshore Apparel's inauguration is genuinely simple and powerful: a specialised meter tracks what a business puts into the grid versus what it draws, and NEDCO — the northern electricity distributor — pays out the difference when the business is a net supplier.
For cleantech founders building commercial solar solutions, that billing relationship is the missing piece. Right now there is no legal pathway to sell surplus power back; you either waste it or store it. A net metering bill changes the investment case entirely.
But Parliament still has to pass it, and Ghana has a long tradition of policies announced at factory inaugurations that move slowly once the cameras leave. The solar panel tax debate shows how much friction remains on the demand side too. Watch for the bill's actual introduction — that is when this becomes real.