A Deputy Managing Director in charge of customer services at Ghana’s electricity distribution and retail company, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr. Kwame Agyeman-Budu, has been appointed as the new Managing Director of ECG.
His appointment follows the termination of the appointment of his immediate boss, Ing. Samuel Boakye-Appiah.
He has over 28 years of work experience in the energy industry.
Below is the profile of Kwame Agyeman-Budu.
Profile of the new ECG Boss: Kwame Agyeman-Budu
Kwame Agyeman-Budu is an energy expert with 28 years of work experience in the energy industry. Before his appointment, Agyeman-Budu was the Customer Project Manager in the Energy Service Department of the Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc., the largest utility company in the US with over 15,000 employees and serving over 3.3 million electric customers and over 1 million natural gas customers.
His responsibilities among others were to manage, coordinate, and provide safe, reliable, and efficient electric and gas services to customers.
Agyeman-Budu’s years of experience in the energy industry cut across areas of Distributed Generation (Combined Heat & Power CHP), Solar (Photovoltaic), Advanced Battery, Windmill, and Fuel Cell Technologies, Alternate Energy, Environmental Audits and Monitoring, Environmental Risk Assessment, Power Plant Systems, Smart Grid Systems, and Systems Engineering and Management. In his academic pursuit, Kwame Agyeman-Budu obtained the following qualifications:
- Master’s Degree in Energy Management from the New York Institute of Technology, New York
- Bachelor of Technology Degree in Telecommunications from the New York City College of Technology, New York
- Associate Degree in Applied Science Electrical Engineering Technology from the New York City College of Technology, New York.
- Certificate in Facilities Management from the New York Institute of Technology, New York
- Teacher Certificate, Wesley College, Kumasi
- O’Level Certificate, Ejisuman Senior High School, Ejisu
In his professional career with ConEdison, the numerous contribution of Kwame to the company included:
Managed a $15M High Tension Gateway Expansion Project (GEP) at LaGuardia Airport, New York City.
- Managing a $5m High Tension Reinforcement Project, and a 10MW Distribution Generation Plant (Co-generation) for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) at their North River Waste Water Treatment Plant (NRWWTP) in New York.
- Managed an 11MW Distribution Generation Plant (co-generation) in Staten Island, New York for Cubit Power (private company) to sell back (Service Classification: SC-11,Buyback) the entire 11MW of power produced to the grid of Consolidated Edison Company of New York.
- Supervised the numerous New York City Energy Conservation Solar Projects for New York City Public Schools, Department of Transportation, New York Police Department
(NYPD), and New York Fire Department (NYFD). These projects have brought Load Relief on Consolidated Edison Company of New York to effectively, reliably, and efficiently power its customers in New York City and Orange and Rockland Counties without service interruption.
- Responsible for varieties of power distribution, power quality, lightning protection, transformer installations, Distribution Generation (Co-gen), and Natural Gas services.
- Responsible for electrical installation, construction, operation and maintenance of High Tension service including all cables, wires, buses, switchgears, transformers, network protectors (NWP), instrument transformers (PTs and CTs).
- Responsible for the installation of Renewable Energy Technologies (Solar, Fuel Cells, Windmill, and Thermal).
- Responsible for monitoring and controlling of projects costs, and take corrective actions to minimize deviation.
- Responsible for approval of electrical services to High Rise Residential and Commercial Buildings.
- Responsible for approval and authorization of electric meters to residential and commercial customers.
- Reviewed single and/or three line electrical diagrams for the installation of low voltage and high tension services.
- Monitored and controlled project cost and took corrective actions to minimize deviations.
- Witnessed Ground and Test (G&T) device, proof-test of High Voltage Cables (Hi-Pot), and Ground Resistance Test.
- Reviewed and validated customers’
Short Circuit and Coordination Studies, and False Current Analysis. For his hard work, Kwame received several awards at the Consolidated Edison Company of New York for his dedication and service to duty: Team Award (2013), Customer Focused Luminaire Award (2012), Best Employee Award (1993 & 1997), and Excellence Award (1993).
He has also received many awards from the Ghanaian Catholic Apostolate Church of Brooklyn (Service to the Ghanaian Community, Lay Leader Award & Dedicated Service Award), United Ghanaian Association of USA (Dedication of Service Award).
He also served as the board member of Baldwin College Foundation and St. Catherine and Teresa of Little Flower Academy, and President of the Science & Technology Entry Program of the College of Staten Island, all in the USA.
Kwame raised the Ghana Flag at the Brooklyn Boro Hall during Ghana at 60 celebrations in New York and was presented a citation for his service and dedication to the Ghanaian community in New York Boroug President of Brooklyn
At the political front, Kwame Agyeman-Budu has paid his dues to the New Patriotic Party. Amember of the Ejisu constituency, he has risen through the ranks in the NPP-USA branch, starting as the Brooklyn Borough Coordinator of the NPP between 1996 to 1999 and just before his appointment, as the National Organizer of the NPP-USA branch from 2012. In between these times, Agyeman-Budu also serves as the Dep. Gen Sec of NPP-New York (2000-2004)
Gen. Sec. of NPP-NY (2005-2008), Vice Chairman of NPP-NY (2009-2017), and NPP-USA Deputy Organizer (2008-2011).Kwame Agyeman-Budu is a dedicated Catholic with years of voluntary service to the St. Catherine of Genoa Catholic Church in Brooklyn. He also dedicated considerable time to offer voluntary service to the Ghanaian community and its affiliate associations in the USA. Author of the book, Energy Efficient Lighting, Kwame was born in 1962 in Kumasi, had his primary education at Asafo Division Primary School, Kumasi, and his secondary education at Ejisuman Secondary School. Before his elevation to the position of Acting Managing Director, Kwame Agyeman-Budu was the Deputy Managing Director in charge of corporate services. He is committed to contributing ideas to help ECG reach its full potential for the socio-economic development of Ghana.