Dr. Ishmael Ackah, Technical Adviser to Ghana’s Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, will leave the ministry at the end of September after nearly two years of service.
In a post on LinkedIn confirming his departure, Dr Ackah, a former Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), praised Dr Jinapor, Deputy Energy Minister Richard Gyan-Mensah, former Energy Minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, former Deputy Energy Minister Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, and Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Benjamin Boakye, for giving him the opportunity to serve Ghana and for their continuous support and encouragement.
Dr Ackah said that over the past five years, he had worked with others to ensure that small and medium-scale businesses in Ghana did not cross-subsidise residential customers, helping to make tariffs more affordable, reduce the burden on businesses and improve their competitiveness.
“I led a team to develop Ghana’s Energy Compact, the third phase of the Energy Sector Committee, and chaired the 2023 Presidential Committee that redeveloped the cash waterfall mechanism, making it more inclusive by adding representatives of IPPs,” he said.
“I also led the technical team that worked with the Cybersecurity Authority to develop cybersecurity infrastructure for the energy sector. I was also part of the team that renegotiated Ghana’s PPAs, saving $250 million and reducing renewable energy tariffs from an average of 18 cents to 6 cents,” he added.
Under the current Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Adwoa Serwaa Bondzie, Dr Ackah said they concluded Ghana’s first open and competitive procurement process for battery energy storage systems (BESS).
He also praised the former Board of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, chaired by Mr. Ebo Quagrainie, for overseeing the construction of a new headquarters for PURC, approving a net metering tariff methodology, and establishing a Centre of Excellence at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), including providing a building for the centre.
“I thank Sarah Anang, Ph.D., MSc, Grad ICSA, AFHEA; Maame Esi Eshun; Todd Moss; and my colleagues at The Energy for Growth Hub, Adwoa Asantewaa, Ph.D., Stephen Agyeman, Ph.D., and friends who have worked with me over this period.
“I thank God. Time to move on! Where? Maybe back to the farm or house-husband, looking after my grandchildren, or join a think tank, or join Y. Find Y?” he quizzed.
Dr. Ackah served as Executive Secretary of PURC from 2022 to 2024 before becoming Technical Adviser to the current Energy Minister in 2025.
His career in the energy sector began at the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), where he worked as Head of the Policy Unit.
He was also the first Coordinator of the Local Content Secretariat at the Ghana Energy Commission.
Dr. Ackah has provided research consultancy services to organisations including the United Nations University, the African Development Bank, IHS Markit, GOGIG/OPM, Ghana’s National Accreditation Board, the Natural Resource Governance Institute and SNV Ghana.
He has published about 40 peer-reviewed papers in high-impact journals, including Energy Research & Social Science, Journal of Contemporary African Studies, Energy Efficiency, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, and The Extractive Industries and Society.
Dr. Ackah holds a PhD in Energy Economics and Policy from the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom and an MSc in Energy Economics and Policy from the University of Surrey, also in the UK.
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