Ghana Beyond Aid is Possible With Renewable Energy

Dr. Francis Boateng Agyenim, Director IIR- CSIR

Director of the Institute of Industrial Research (IIR) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has maintained that the President's vision of Ghana Beyond Aid can possibly be achieved through technology driven research and industrialisation.

Dr. Francis Boateng Agyenim made the reiteration on President Akuffo Addo's vision of moving Ghana beyond economic dependence during the First CSIR- Research Staff Association (RSA) Scientific Conference which took place at the GNAT Village at Abankro in the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti region last week.

He observed that the nation is endowed with the very kinds of resources needed to build a resilient independent economy with the least effort and commitment.

The energy expert and former Dean of the Graduate School of Ghana Technology University college in an interview with journalists during the conference pointed out that investment into renewable energy from the sun, popularly referred to as Solar Energy is one key area that can transform the Ghanaian economy and usher us to the height of a nation independent on foreign aid.

Dr. Boateng Agyenim observed that per the position of the country on the globe, sunshine is abundant and turns out to obstruct us while the state spends millions of dollars on daily basis on other expensive forms of energy.

He contends that switching to maximum use of solar energy will benefit the country in many way.

"Powering communities with decentralised solar and biogas can work a magic results for Ghana", the passionate Engineer challenged.

He enumerates that the solar energy path has the potential of creating as many jobs as possible, help reserve energy from the national grid for the sole purpose of Industrial development as well as relief community folks and the government of the high cost of hydro and thermal energies.

He continued that combining solar and biogas will generate compost that can be turned into fertilizer for improved agricultural yield for the implementation of the government's flagship program of Planting for Food and Jobs.

The former Dean said the use of biogas for energy also holds solutions to solving the sanitation challenge that has bedeviled the country.

Dr. Francis Boateng Agyenim on this note directed individual investors, state institutions responsible for the supply of energy and the government to partner the with the CSIR-IIR to revolutionalize the country energy course.