Rahama Zakaria | Sanatu Zambang
The northern region of Ghana is blessed with an abundance of sunshine. This sunshine which can be used for clean energy has not been adopted by the local communities. Everyone is hooked to the national grid for their source of energy which put pressure on it.
As part of ÉnergieRich mandate to encourage communities to move to sustainable energy, they are empowering local communities in the northern region to build solar panels in partnership with Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art, (SCCA – Tamale, Ghana) Stanford Society of Black Scientists and Engineers, students and faculty from Ashesi University and Tamale Technical University (Ghana).
“With the current increase in tariffs, is a sign that we need alternative source of energy, especially for us in the Northern Regions, we have sunshine, let’s havest it during daytime.” — Abubakari Issahku#SolarStories | https://t.co/geV8QNv8aI
— Unconventional with @Rafiu_fishbone (@fishbonepodcas) September 7, 2022
#Solarenergysystem #CleanEnergy pic.twitter.com/r575qNugE4
A lecturer from the TaTU, Mr ABUBAKARI Issahaku in an interview with Sanatu Zambang said the training and building of solar panels were timely. According to him, the current energy crisis is a sign that we need to relook at how we can generate an alternative source of energy to feed our households and industries. He also said sustainable and clean energy is possible if start now and what EnergieRich doing is commendable and should be adopted by all.
“The current increase in tariffs is a sign, that we need an alternative source of energy. We should begin to look at how urban homes can add solar to balance our dependency, especially for us in the Northern Regions. We need a lot of energy to cut down the cost of products. Everything depends on energy, without energy there’s no life”
Mr ABUBAKARI Issahaku
For EnergieRich, it is not just about producing clean and sustainable energy for the local community. They are also looking at the business and employability aspect of energy production to local community members.
The initiative is to reduce or stop the influx of imported energy products into local communities throughout West Africa. The goal is to train and build the capacity of the local community to produce their energy production. This intervention by EnergieRich will spark local innovation and also tackle unemployment issues.
When the community take charge of producing their energy locally, benefits spread out. Money is generated locally and stays in the community while providing employability to the youth. In the long run, it speeds up the creation of a cleaner and healthier future for local communities.