Construction of Ghana’s largest ever private sector built power plant is expected to begin within months after Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo bought into the ground-breaking US$900 million scheme, boosting the outlook for economic growth in the power-hungry West African country.

Prospects for harnessing West African gas to meet the region’s growing power demand have received a significant boost with financial close for Ghana’s $900m Cenpower scheme, writes Thalia Griffiths.