Bui Power, Berlin university sign agreement on renewable energies
The Bui Power Authority (BPA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Berlin Technical University (TU Berlin) to implement a professional education on renewable energies in Ghana (PROREG) programme.
Advertisement
The partners will work with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Energy of Natural Resources (UENR) to implement the programme.
The MoU was one of three cooperation agreements signed between BPA and three other institutions as part of a working visit of some Ghanaian officials to Germany.
Led by the Board Chairman of BPA, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, the delegation included Ghana's Ambassador to Germany, Gina Blay; the Chief Executive Officer of BPA, Samuel Kofi Ahiave Dzamesi, who signed the agreements on behalf of the authority, and the Director of Renewables, BPA, Wisdom Ahiataku-Togobo.
The delegation visited Berlin, Germany, to seek cooperation and agreement to build the capacity of BPA staff for the implementation of their mandate as renewable energy leaders.
Collaboration
Under the first MoU, BPA will collaborate with TU Berlin, KNUST and UENR to implement PROREG with support from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
BPA technical staff seeking to pursue higher educational programmes in Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy courses will also have the opportunity to undertake academic disciplines related to the work and mandate of BPA at any of the three universities.
On the other hand, TU Berlin staff will also support in developing practical models and appropriate research topics for BPA technical staff.
Other Trending Stories
The second MoU, signed with the Distance Learning Institute of the Berliner Hochschule für Technik (DLI), saw both parties agreeing to fully cooperate to build the capacity of BPA technicians who cannot advance degree programmes, 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 to contribute to the development of renewable energies through the development of academic and research activities based on the existing cooperation of BST-SRH with KNUST and the UENR.
This partnership would enable Ghanaian students to enrol in Master's programmes offered by the BST-SRH.
It will also 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 Finance, Procurement, Energy Law, Communication and Human Resource Management, among others.
The delegation also travelled to Rathenow to visit a Sunfarming company where solar PV farms are integrated with agriculture to provide a conducive environment for vegetable and crop farming under solar panels and for animal farming for ducks, geese, fowls and cattle, among others.
Impression
The Board Chairman of BPA and the CEO of BPA were both impressed with such method of farming and agreed to collaborate with Sunfarming to set up a prototype at a Bui Generating Station.
The delegation also met with the German Ministry for Environment and Economic Affairs, who showed interest in investing in BPA.
The Germans lauded BPA for its achievement in the deployment of renewable energy in Ghana and promised to extend support to BPA through their development agencies.
For his part, Mr Dzamesi called for support in the construction of western rivers in Ghana to enable BPA to deploy solar for the hybridisation of hydro power to ensure uninterrupted generation of solar power during the day and hydro at night.