Ghana’s technical electricity regulator, Energy Commission, has held a day’s workshop to sensitize selected manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers in the West African nation’s energy supply industry on the Local Content and Local Participation (Electricity Supply Industry) Regulations,2017, (L.I. 2354).
The purpose of the LI 2354, which came into force in December 2017, includes amongst others, the maximization of financial capital, expertise, goods, and services locally to develop and promote local capacity in the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) and the manufacture of electrical equipment, electrical appliances, and renewable energy equipment.
The Regulation grants a transition period of five years for entities who were already engaged in the ESI before the coming into force of the Regulations, to meet the minimum provisions of the L.I.
The transition period, which ends in December 2022, was to enable such entities to take progressive steps to comply with the minimum provisions of the Regulations.
It is for this reason that the Energy Commission invited its stakeholders to the workshop to further sensitize them on the provisions of the Regulations and implementation strategies and urge them to take the necessary steps to comply with all provisions of the Regulations.
It brought together all players within the Electricity Supply Industry which include power producers, transmission and distribution utilities, Renewable energy service providers, and manufacturers of electrical equipment, electrical appliances, and renewable energy equipment from both public and private sector
The Local Content and Local Participation Specialist at the Energy Commission, Ing. Maame Yaa Akowuah Tamakloe took the participants through the specific provisions of the L.I. 2354 and highlighted some implementation strategies deployed by the Commission to ensure its successful execution. She highlighted that the Regulation was passed in line with the desire of the government to develop indigenous capacity and local participation in the Electricity sector through the creation of linkages, building local industries, ensuring the employment of Ghanaians, and promoting value addition.
This implies that businesses in the Electricity Supply Industry are required to make provision for Ghanaian citizens or indigenous Ghanaian Companies to have some level of equity ownership in the entity.
Further, entities in the Electricity Supply Industry are to give first consideration to indigenous Ghanaian service providers for their required services such as their legal, insurance, financial, allied, and engineering services.
In addition, players in the industry are required to give first consideration to locally manufactured goods (i.e. electrical equipment, appliance, and renewable energy equipment) for their activities.
The EC team led by the Executive Secretary and together with their Consultant, Dr Juliette Twumasi Anokye provided clarity on some queries raised by participants during the stakeholder meeting.
This includes the unavailability of quality supplies and expertise on the Ghanaian market.
Ing. Tamakloe highlighted some strategies by the Commission to collaborate with relevant institutions to build capacity in-country which includes the commencement of the Indigenous Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (ISME) Capacity Programme, Women Engineers in Energy Trainee (WEET) Programme, and the Renewable Energy Equipment Assembling Bootcamp aimed at offering practical training and other support to Ghanaians and indigenous enterprises in the ESI.
The Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Ing Oscar Amonoo-Neizer, commended the participants for attending the workshop and urged them to cooperate fully with the Government, the Commission, and the Local Content Committee to ensure that the purpose for which the Regulations were developed are achieved.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com