GHANA – The government of Ghana through its Energy ministry has launched an Energy Service Centre to provide efficient and independent advisory services to the industry sector.
The Centre, which is an initiative of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) would serve as an information hub on matters relating to renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE/EE).
It will also offer industries seeking to invest in renewable energy or energy efficieny with project assistance and market linkages.
Information from the energy ministry indicate that the centre will receive financial and technical support from the German Development Cooperation on behalf of the Federal Government of Germany.
The Centre would undertake knowledge transfer, public education, general energy consultation, technical advisory, project implementation assistance and financial advisory services on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Speaking during the launching of the centre, Mr Joseph Cudjoe, Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Energy commended the AGI and the GIZ for their foresight and focus to the development of the private sector.
Mr. Cudjoe said both the government and private sector were working to achieve one common goal: to drive Ghana’s industrial development through the provision of adequate and reliable energy.
The deputy energy minister assured stakeholders of the government’s commitments towards improving the renewable energy sector and urged AGI to play a major role in ensuring sustainable energy supply in the country.
Mr Charles Darku, the Vice President of AGI, speaking at the event said that the electricity crisis observed in Ghana in the last two decades contributed immensely to the collapse of many small and medium-sized industries across the country.
He further noted the was a slow adoption of renewable energy and efficient energy solutions by the private due to problems such as lack of adequate financing, insufficient regulations and inadequate capacity.
The role that the energy service center would play as an independent broker will thus help deal with these challenges and increase adoption of RE/EE among industries in the private sector.
Mr Christoph Retzlaff, the German Ambassador to Ghana, pledged the German government’s support to Ghana for the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions.
The German Envoy revealed that the German government had already invested over US$188.6 million in the development if RE/EE in Ghana.
Ghana has an objective sourcing 10 percent of its national energy demands from renewable sources by 2030.
This investment in a information, project assistance and market linkages hub would therefore play a crucial role in enabling the nation achieve this goal.
