A delegation led by the Board Chair of Bui Power Authority (BPA), Hon. Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh (MP, Sunyani East), have paid a working visit to Berlin, Germany to seek cooperation and agreement for the building of capacity of BPA staff for the implementation of their mandate as Renewable Energy Leaders. Other members of the delegation include H.E. Gina Blay, Ghana’s Ambassador to Germany, Hon Samuel Kofi Ahiave Dzamesi, Chief Executive Officer of BPA, and Mr. Wisdom Ahiataku Togobo, Director of Renewables, had very fruitful discussions leading to the signing of three different agreements.
Under the first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), BPA will collaborate with Berlin Technical University (TU Berlin), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and University of Energy of Natural Resources (UENR), as partners to implement PROREG (Professional Education for Renewable Energies in Ghana) supported by DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). BPA technical staff seeking to pursue higher educational programs in Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy will have the opportunity to undertake academic disciplines related to the work and mandate of BPA at either of the three universities. TU Berlin staff will also support developing practical models and appropriate research topics for BPA technical staff.
The second MoU was signed with the Distance Learning Institute of the Berliner Hochschule für Technik (DLI). Under this MoU both parties agreed to fully cooperate to build capacity of BPA technicians who cannot advance degree programs as well as non-technical staff working in the field of finance, procurement, communication and Energy law.
The third MoU was signed with the Berlin School of Technology of the SRH Berlin University of Applied Science (BST-SRH). Under this agreement, BPA will cooperate with BST-SRH to promote a systematic exchange of experts and students between BPA and BST that will contribute to the development of renewable energies, through the development of academic and research activities based on the existing cooperation of the BST-SRH with KNUST and the UENR. This partnership will promote the participation of Ghanaian students to enroll in the Master’s programs offered by the BST-SRH; and promote the participation of engineers and experts from BPA and other institutions in Ghana in the winter and summer schools offered by the BST-SRH on relevant topics in the areas of Finance, Procurement, Energy Law, Communication, Human Resource Management among others.
The delegation traveled to Rathenow to visit Sunfarming company, where solar PV farms are integrated with agriculture, thereby providing a conducive environment for vegetable and crop farming under solar panels and for animal farming for animals such as ducks, geese, fowls, cattle, etc. These animals are all kept under the panel structure rather than leaving all the land space beneath the panel unutilized. The Board Chair of BPA and CEO of BPA were very impressed to see this method of farming and agreed to cooperate with Sunfarming to set up a prototype at the Bui Generating Station.
The delegation also met with the German Ministry for Environment and Economic Affairs, where opportunities for investment in BPA were presented to them. The German Ministry lauded BPA on its achievement in the deployment of Renewable Energy in Ghana and promised to extend support to BPA through their Development Agencies.
On his part, Hon. Samuel Kofi Ahiave Dzamesi, CEO of BPA, emphasized the need for investment support in the construction of the Western Rivers in Ghana to enable BPA to take up more deployment of solar for the hybridization of Hydro Power to ensure uninterrupted generation for solar during the day and hydro at night.