Amissah-Arthur honoured with lifetime award
The Board Chair of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Jabesh Amissah-Arthur, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Ghana Energy Awards, held in Accra.
The recognition celebrates more than four decades of service during which he helped shape Ghana’s modern energy sector.
Reflecting on the honour, Mr Amissah-Arthur noted that the recognition was not his alone but shared with the many Ghanaian professionals he had collaborated with over the years.
“I am humbled by this recognition. Every achievement has been a collective effort and I remain proud of what Ghanaian engineers continue to accomplish,” he said.
Early in his career, which began in 1979 at VRA, he successfully solved a complex IT challenge that had stalled the authority’s consultants, an indication of the ingenuity that would define his leadership.
He was later asked to lead the authority’s major digital transformation as head of the MIS Department, modernising operations and improving efficiency across the institution he now chairs.
One of his most significant national contributions was through the Northern Electrification and System Reinforcement Project, where his technical leadership helped secure financing for the project.
He then went on to coordinate all aspects of project implementation for the extension of the national grid beyond Kumasi to the northern-most parts of Ghana within four years.
This project laid the groundwork for the National Electrification Programme and expanded access nationwide.
Service to mankind
At just 42, he was appointed Deputy Chief Executive of the VRA, overseeing the country’s generation and transmission systems at a crucial time in Ghana’s energy development.
Later, as CEO of the Bui Power Authority, he led the successful delivery of the 400 MW Bui Hydroelectric Dam — completed on schedule, within budget and supervised entirely by a Ghanaian technical team. The dam remains one of Ghana’s landmark engineering achievements.
Mr Amissah-Arthur also authored the Ghana Grid Code, the regulatory framework that continues to guide the safe and reliable operation of the national transmission system and ensures open access to all parties.
Beyond Ghana, he has contributed to more than 40 major energy projects across West Africa, holding key leadership roles, including the Chair of the West African Gas Pipeline Authority (WAGPA), the Chair of TiCO, and a Board Member of Bui Power Authority.
The Lifetime Achievement Award reflects a career defined by innovation, integrity and a commitment to building national capacity.
It honours a leader whose work has expanded electrification, built a major national generation plant, strengthened energy institutions and improved millions of lives across Ghana and the sub-region with his service to mankind.
