VRA commends engineers for collaboration in power generation
The Chief Executive of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Edward Ekow Obeng-Kenzo, has commended the Society of Volta River Authority Engineers (SOVRAE) for the effective role they have played over the years in providing a solid partnership with the management of VRA.
Mr Obeng-Kenzo said the partnership had ensured the authority’s continuous grip on the tenets and traditions of the VRA in its quest to become a model of excellence for power utilities in Africa.
He stated that as key partners and vehicles for national development, SOVRAE and VRA had the common objective to improve the socio-economic development of the country and, therefore, it was of utmost necessity for VRA and SOVRAE to continue to collaborate to influence public policy, sustain their collective campaign towards the promotion and growth of engineers, as well as build and promote a sustainable authority.
Speaking at the 33rd Conference of the 2025 Annual General Meeting of SOVRAE at Senchi Ferry near Akosombo in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region last Thursday, Mr Obeng-Kenzo said that the theme spoke volumes of the current period.
The 2025 SOVRAE AGM was on the theme: “Engineering the energy transition: Reliable, renewable and resilient.
SOVRAE
The Society of Volta River Authority Engineers was formed in 1992 by the VRA engineers in Akosombo, Aboadze and Kpong.
The Chief Executive of VRA, who has been in the power generation space for the past 25 years, added that Africa is known for having good sunny weather all year round and thus a renewable energy drive, particularly solar energy, presented a unique opportunity for the country.
He explained that the sun does not shine 24 hours a day, and for Ghana and its neighbouring countries, which depend on VRA for power requirements, peak electricity demand occurs at night.
“This means that if we want to engineer the energy transition in our part of the world to provide reliable, renewable and resilient electricity for our development purposes, we must, as a necessity, have a reliable base load electricity generation that will complement the renewable opportunities available to us.
“In fact, we need to develop such reliable base load generation in a fast and cost-effective manner, before we even move on to increase our renewable energy penetration as a nation,” Mr Obeng-Kenzo said.
National producer
He said it was for that reason that VRA, as the leading national producer of electricity in the country, was working with the government to deploy over 1,000 MW combined-cycle power plants within the next five years, by sourcing existing power plants in good condition around the world and relocating them to Ghana.
He said that Ghana and Nigeria have abundant natural gas resources with plans on the table to export part of it to Europe, and therefore, these regional resources need to be harnessed to bring the development urgently required.
The outgoing President of SOVRAE in charge of Digital Transformation and Innovation of VRA, Samuel Yeboah, in his farewell message stated that, as the energy sector undergoes a dramatic transformation, so too must SOVRAE, which is the brain behind power generation.
He said their continued relevance hinged on their ability to reinvent themselves through bold thinking, relentless innovation and strategic adaptability.
The past President of the African Engineers Organisation, Carlien Bou-Chedid, who was the guest of honour, said as the government did not have the capital and latest technological solutions that the market required for infrastructure development, a healthy level of private sector participation was required with a combination of public, private partnership (PPP) arrangements where it was necessary.
The Paramount Chief of the Akwamu Traditional Area, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, the chairman for the occasion, who was represented by a divisional chief, Nana Akonnor Bekai Ababio V, pledged that he and the Akwamu Traditional Council were ready to facilitate respectful land use, community buy-in and sustainable development.
