The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has launched a digital platform to link businesses with solar energy consultants and service providers amid high electricity costs.
Dubbed “BisaConnect”, the platform is intended to give businesses access to qualified consultants to support energy planning, feasibility studies, project development and other technical requirements for adopting solar power.
Mr Seth Twum-Akwaboah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AGI, said at the launch in Accra that rising energy costs remained one of the biggest challenges confronting businesses in Ghana, despite recent improvements in the country’s energy situation.
He said the AGI’s recent Business Barometer Report, which measures business confidence and perceptions among its members, identified energy costs as one of the most critical challenges facing businesses for the second consecutive quarter.
“Energy cost is a challenge,” he said, explaining that businesses were increasingly concerned about the impact of electricity tariffs on their operations and competitiveness.
Mr Twum-Akwaboah said Ghanaian businesses were competing with companies in countries where electricity costs were significantly lower, putting local firms at a disadvantage.
The situation, he said, was particularly difficult for highly energy-intensive companies classified as “bulk customers”, some of which had experienced electricity cost increases of between 40 and 48 per cent following changes to their tariff arrangements.
Mr Twum-Akwaboah said the increases had made alternative energy sources, particularly solar power, increasingly important to industry.
He said the AGI had been promoting solar energy and energy efficiency for about six years, with support from development partners, including GIZ.
Mr Twum-Akwaboah recalled that when the initiative began, many businesses considered solar energy too expensive and largely suitable for households or small-scale users.
“Gradually, people are realising that it is an option to look at,” he said, noting that commercial and industrial applications of solar energy had become increasingly important.
Mr Twum-Akwaboah said the AGI subsequently established an Energy Service Centre to help businesses navigate the process of adopting renewable energy.
He said one of the major challenges identified was the difficulty businesses faced in finding suitable consultants and service providers.
BisaConnect, he explained, would address some of those challenges by linking businesses seeking energy solutions with qualified service providers.
“Businesses will be able to register their interest through the platform and gain access to consultants who can support them with energy assessments, feasibility studies and the development of appropriate energy plans,” he said.
Mr Julius Nkansah-Nyarko, Senior Manager, Renewable Energy Regulations, Energy Commission, called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to unlock investment opportunities in Ghana’s renewable energy sector.
He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to working with industry stakeholders to strengthen Ghana’s renewable energy ecosystem and support the responsible development of the sector.
Mr Kofi Anim Ayeko, Manager for Renewable Energy at Swisscontact Ghana, said the organisation’s work was guided by an inclusive systems development approach focused on strengthening market systems rather than acting as a direct market player.
“We seek to identify underlying constraints that prevent markets from delivering opportunities at scale, and then collaborate with key actors to develop solutions that are sustainable, locally owned and capable of continuing long after project support ends,” she said.
The launch, held on the theme, “Unlocking Investment Pathways for Sustainable Energy Solutions in Africa,” was organised in collaboration with the Energy Commission and supported by Swisscontact, an international development cooperation organisation.
