Ghana: Energy Commission, USAID Train And Certify 44 Wiring Professionals In Northern Ghana

Ghana’s technical electricity regulator, Energy Commission, in collaboration with the USAID-funded Power Africa West Africa Energy Programme (Power Africa), has trained and certified 44 wiring professionals including 10 women in Northern Ghana.

The USAID and Power Africa sponsored the four-week training from 29th September to 2nd  November 2021, in collaboration with the EC to increase the number of Certified Electrical Wiring Professionals in Ghana, with the end goal of increasing access to reliable and affordable grid-based power in Ghana.

The training took place at the Dabokpa Technical Institute in Tamale, Northern Region.

Out of the 50 registered and trained participants, 44 were successful in the certification examinations, which qualifies them as Certified Electrical Wiring Professionals (CEWPs).

This also includes 10 female artisans, whose successful qualification has increased the number of female wiring artisans in Ghana by 100 per cent.

The 44 certified wiring professionals graduated at a brief ceremony held in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital.

Since the inception of the implementation of Ghana’s Electrical Wiring Regulations Law in February 2012, the EC has certified dozens of professionals.

However, many practitioners continue to wire facilities without the appropriate certification and related training, resulting in the need for rewiring, unsafe installations and increased cost for connection, particularly, for rural households.

The challenges faced by unskilled electricians are usually based on limited financial capacity to pay for training and to register for the Wiring Examinations.

USAID and Power Africa commended the Energy Commission for passing the Electrical Wiring Regulations Law (L.I. 2008), and their partnership in training professional artisans to legally engage in professional electrical wiring and installation.

The Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Rev Ing Oscar Amonoo-Neizer, expressed his gratitude to USAID for its immense contribution particularly to increasing the number of certified female wiring artisans.

“We believe that participants have been presented with viable opportunities to enhance and refine their skills to ultimately generate income. Thanks to USAID and Power Africa for covering the logistical, tuition and certification costs/fees for all 44 wiring professionals and for presenting each of them with necessary toolkits to start them off in their career,” he said.

Power Africa will continue to work with Ghana’s Energy Commission and the Government of Ghana to improve access to affordable and reliable electricity.

In a speech, the Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, noted that the training of the certified wiring professionals would help reduce the cost of wiring in the north and would also create employment opportunities for the youth.

“This kind gesture will also create employment opportunities for the youth in the communities. It is envisaged that the reduced cost of wiring installations will drive a rapid increase in electricity access within these communities, thereby accelerating the goal of achieving the 2025 Universal Access to electricity target in Ghana,” he said.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com