Ghana’s electricity consumption has grown significantly over the years, with customers increasing from 932,598 in 2000 to 6,166,430 in 20224 at an annual average growth rate of 8.3%. Residential customers constitute the majority with 86%, while non-residential customers and special load tariff (SLT) customers who are large energy consumers make up 14% and 0.04%, respectively. ECG holds the majority share among distribution entities, with 79.6%, followed by NEDCO (20.4%) and EPC (0.003%).
Electricity Consumption by Sectors (GWh)
The graph illustrates electricity consumption by sector from 2000 to 2024, showing steady growth in overall demand, with an average annual increase of approximately 4.7%.
In 2024, Ghana’s electricity consumption rose to 20,196 GWh. The residential sector led in consumption, with 8,569 GWh, accounting for 42.4% of the total, and continued its steady growth over the past decade. The industrial sector followed closely with 8,159 GWh (40.4%), reflecting a slight decline from 8,250 GWh in 2023. The service sector recorded 3,406 GWh (16.9%), while agriculture and transport remained minor consumers, at 49.2 GWh and 13.1 GWh, respectively.
These trends indicate a shifting balance, with residential demand now marginally outpacing industry, highlighting the growing energy needs of households. The slight dip in industrial consumption may also suggest a gradual shift in energy sourcing within the sector, though further data would be needed to confirm this.
Customer Population by Classification
In 2024, Ghana’s distribution utilities customer population remained predominantly residential, with 5,281,816 residential customers, representing approximately 85.7% of the total. Non-residential customers numbered 882,125, making up about 14.3%, while Special Load Tariff (SLT) customers, typically large-scale consumers such as mining companies, stood at 2,489, accounting for just 0.04% of the total customer base of 6,166,430.
The residential category refers to private households; the non-residential group consists mainly of commercial and institutional entities. SLT customers are high-energy-demand users served under customized tariffs due to their unique consumption profiles.