BUI, Ghana - The Ghanaian president John Dramani Mahama pressed the knob to officially commission the final phase of the Bui hydroelectric power project at Bui in the northwestern part of Ghana on Thursday.

The event which comes after months and years of hard work and dedication marks the substantial completion of the plant which can generate up to 400mW of electricity.

Mahama praised China for its support to Ghana over the years, saying China had proved to be a true friend of Ghana.

He said Ghana had enjoyed a very close friendship with China, one of respect and mutual cooperation, since it established diplomatic relations with China.

"I therefore hope that all the other projects that we are working on including the projects of the China Development Bank will be fast-tracked so that we can continue to see such symbols of Ghana-China cooperation across the length and breadth of our country," said Mahama.

The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana Gong Jianzhong said the Bui hydroelectric dam is one of the symbols of the fraternal friendship between China and Ghana.

He said the completion of the project once again demonstrates to the world that the cooperation between the two countries brings about tangible benefits to citizens of both countries.

The China Export-Import Bank was the main financier of the project which was constructed at a cost of $622 million and will boost Ghana's current energy capacity by 20 percent and enhance reliability and quality of electricity supply nationwide.