Universal Energy Access Ghana, 5-2013

8/10/2019 Universal Energy Access Ghana, 5-2013

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TOWARDS UNIVERSAL ENERGY ACCESS: GHANA AND THELAUNCH OF THE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY NETWORK GHANA

(SENG)

WORKSHOP REPORT

MAY 15th, 2013


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Contents

1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3

2 Highlights from the Meeting ......................................................................................................... 4

2.1

Opening Plenary ......................................................................................................................... 4

2.2 Session I .................................................................................................................................. 5

2.4 Session II ................................................................................................................................. 7

2.5 Session III ................................................................................................................................ 8

2.6 Presentations on the Way Forward towards Universal Energy Access ............................ 10

2.7 Presentation on Renewable Energy Feed-in-Tariffs in Africa ............................................. 11

3

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 11

Appendix 1: List of Attendees .............................................................................................................. 12

Appendix 2: Meeting Agenda Copy .......................................................................................... 15

Appendix 3: Speaker bios..18


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1 IntroductionA day's workshop was organized by the UN Foundation, US Department of State, UN

Development programme, the World Future Council, and the African Renewable Energy Alliance

(AREA) in conjunction with KITE on Wednesday, 15th May, 2013 at the M Plaza Hotel in Accra. The

programme was to provide a platform for the review of Ghana's Sustainable Energy for All Action

Plan, deliberation of community needs and emerging opportunities in the sector, and the

challenge of financing and reaching low income and isolated communities sustainably and

affordably. It was also to serve as the platform for the launch of the Sustainable Energy Network

of Ghana (SENG). The programme began at 0900 hours and was attended by 73 participants (See

Appendix 1 for the participant list). A copy of the agenda is also available in Appendix 2 of this

report. Below is a detailed report on deliberations made.


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2 Highlights from the Meeting

2.1 Opening PlenaryMr. Ishmael Edjekumhene, Director of KITE and Interim

Coordinator of SENG, welcomed the participants to the function

and recounted the purpose of the gathering. A minute silence

was observed in honour of Prof. Abeeku Brew-Hammond after

which Ms. Aneri Patel, Senior Associate of Energy Access, UN

Foundation was invited to provide an overview of the

Sustainable Energy for All Initiative and the Energy Access

Practitioners Network. She explained that the sustainable

energy initiative was launched by the UN Secretary General with

the focus of garnering commitment from governments, civil

society and businesses to achieve the objectives of ensuringuniversal access to modern energy services, doubling the global

rate of energy improvement in energy efficiency and doubling

the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

In achieving these, the UN foundation launched the Energy Access Practitioner Network (EAPN)

in 2011 which aims at catalyzing energy service delivery at the country level. She indicated that

the Sustainable Energy Network of Ghana (SENG) was to be the first country affiliate of the

EAPN, and encouraged all workshop participants to take up membership. Mr. Ansgar Kiene,

Secretary General of the African Renewable Energy Alliance (AREA) then followed with a brief

overview of AREA. He explained that AREA served as a global platform for the exchange of

information and discourse across diverse sectors (policy, business, academia/civil society) for the

accelerated uptake of renewable energies towards enabling sustainable development in Africa. It

plays a catalytic role in promoting knowledge transfer and international cooperation in

sustainable energy.

Concluding the session, Mr. Ishmael Edjekumhene, Interim Coordinator of SENG, made a brief

presentation on SENG. Touching on the origin of SENG, he explained that it had evolved from the

Clean Energy Network (CEN); a loose network formed to promote clean energy systems in

Ghana. This transition was to properly express its overall goal which was sustainability. He

explained that following from its vision and objectives, the network had taken critical steps in

ensuring its relevance by developing and endorsing a constitution and a website (to be launched

by Mid-June). Also the process of registering the Network had been initiated and was to be

completed before Mid-June. The current membership stood around 86 in total, and he

encouraged individuals and institutions to take up membership. He further noted that since the

SENG was not financially supported currently, it intends embarking on an aggressive financial

campaign to meet this challenge. Finally, he indicated that being a country affiliate of the EAPN,

all SENG members were intrinsically members of the EAPN.


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2.2 Session I

A four member panel, consisting of Mr. Wisdom Ahiataku-Togobo, Director, Renewable Energy,

Ministry of Energy; Mr. Raffi Balian, Senior Advisor for Renewable and Bio-energy, US State

Department; Dr. Nii Darko Asante, Director, Technical Regulation, Energy Commission; Mr. Frank

Wouters, Deputy Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency. The panel was

moderated by Dr. Ben Hagan, a former Director of the Institute of Industrial Research of the

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (IIR-CSIR) and the consultant who led the

preparation of SE4All Action Plan for Ghana.

Report on Ghana's progress: It was indicated that although Ghana's energy access target year is

2020, the current directive from the presidency was the achievement of universal energy accessby 2016. The main challenge however was reaching communities which are distant from the

national grid as well as difficult to access. It was noted that significant efforts had been made in

getting solar PV systems and other similar systems to these communities.

A major achievement of the country (Ghana) was the passage of the Renewable energy law,

although aspects of the regulatory instruments for Feed-in-tariffs were still being worked on by

the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, and this accounted for why not much publicity had been

undertaken on this. Also, data was being collected on potential wind speeds in the country as

well as a biomass resource assessment in progress. Ghana had also become a member of the

global alliance of improved cookstoves and further established local branch in the country. Theachievement of sustainability particularly in energy, however, was noted as requiring concerted

efforts and a tripartite cooperation between governments, civil society and the private sector. A

national champion institution would also be crucial in championing the cause of sustainable

energy, with a holistic approach which looks at how ongoing projects connect to each other.

Ghana's Action Plan: It was noted that Ghana had been a leader in the energy sector on the

continent (also first country in the world to present sustainable energy action plan) and it was

crucial that this be capitalized on and the position maintained. A major strength of Ghana's

country action plan was that it had been developed from already existing home grown initiatives

and these initiatives had been brought into visibility by the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All)programme. Moreover, international support was available particularly from the United States


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which is committed to the attainment of the goal of sustainable energy. Learning from the

progress of other countries such as Brazil and China which had made great strides in on- and off-

grid energy access was encouraged as well as from research from the Innovation and Technology

Centre of Bonn. There was also a call for the tendering in of proposals for a grant for sustainable

energy related projects available from the International Renewables Energy Agency (IRENA).

Issues Arising: It was revealed that currently no overt communication strategy was in place for

renewable energy, although specific aspects and issues are communicated to specific people

when necessary. This would however be developed in the course of time. Also work was being

done by the Global Alliance Clean Cookstoves on the standardization of improved cookstoves.

Efforts had been made in creating an enabling environment for biomass energy production in

Ghana through the enactment of the Renewable Energy law to enforce obligatory purchase of

energy produced through this means by energy suppliers, so private sector initiatives are

welcome.

2.3 Official Launch of the Sustainable Energy Network of Ghana

The Interim Coordinator, Ishmael Edjekumhene made a brief presentation on SENG, recountingits vision, mission and its intended role in facilitating Sustainable Energy for All in Ghana. He

thanked the UNDP for facilitating the launch of the Network and invited remarks from the high

level officials present. The relevance of Ghana's involvement in the Sustainable Energy for All

initiative was touched upon, citing that the 72 percent energy access attained by the country was

almost wholly based on the grid and also with low productivity from energy use. It was noted

that there was a crucial need to create partnerships between civil society and government as well

as mainstream gender issues into sustainable energy projects in order to achieve goals set. The

deputy minister of Energy and Petroleum, Hon. John Jinapor, indicated that the Network had the

Ministry's full support and they were on hand to provide any assistance needed. The United

States Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Gene A. Cretz commended the SENG initiative and

expressed that promoting job creation and projects in the energy industry was a top priority of


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the US government. The Sustainable Energy Network of Ghana (SENG) was then declared

launched by Ms. Ruby Sandhu-Rojon, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident

Representative on behalf of the invited officials present.

2.4 Session II

A four member panel consisting of Ms. Faustina Boakye, Executive Director of Ghana Alliance for

Clean Cookstoves; Mr. Samuel Adu-Asare, Consultant, Ghana Energy Development and Access

Project; Ms. Gifty Asmah, founder/Executive Director of Daasgift Quality Foundation; Nate Heller,

West Africa Director of Impact Energies and moderated by Ms. Aneri Patel, United Nations

Foundation, discussed issues on how awareness of energy technologies and participatory

community development improved. Below are the key outcomes of the discussion:

Financial Barrier:The main challenge in the adoption of clean energy technologies was identified

as the price of the products. Also, there is lack of confidence in the longevity of products which

make clients loath in investing in them even though they would save over time. Microfinance

institutions and strategies provide one means of overcoming this challenge for end users. Also

'pay as you go' strategies could be adopted as a means of removing the challenge of initial capital

outlay as well as training of technicians and possibly clients to provide maintenance services in

order to reduce the perceived risk. Attention was also drawn to the fact that education is very

critical in achieving the switch to new and cleaner technologies as the effect of old habits and

traditions need to be overcome in order to introduce new technologies particularly in rural


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communities. This would also make significant impact by altering the fundamental values of the

people and thereby encourage investment in cleaner energy. In so doing it may be necessary to

regulate the standard of technologies produced/imported into the country to generate and

maintain the element of trust from the people.

Improving Cookstove Access:The main challenge here is the inability of local manufacturers toscale up production. This was especially challenging because there were few cook stoves

varieties designed to cater for the needs of rural communities and as such there was the need to

support local manufacturers to scale up production of these stoves for communities as well as

institutions. Behavioural changes also need to be facilitated through the creation of awareness

and education in order to encourage the adoption of cook stoves. The cost of purchasing these

products also limits the degree of adoption by communities. Collaboration between local

producers and foreign suppliers was encouraged in order to facilitate the development of local

production centres. Although learning has occurred amongst manufacturers resulting in more

appropriate designs, more consultation needs to be done with the people at the design stages.

Role of key Stakeholders: The central responsibility for government/civil society and other

stakeholder institutions was cited as largely in the area of providing mass education and

sensitization as well as financial support to actors in the industry. Development partners could as

well assist with analyzing and assimilating ongoing projects so as to facilitate the creation of a

master plan/programme for energy sustainability. Furthermore, in order to make meaningful

inroads in clean energy adoption, communities need to be sensitized on the non-political nature

of sustainable energy projects.

2.5 Session III

A seven member panel consisting of Mr. Daniel-Alexander Schroth, African Development Bank;

Mr. Philip Liverpool, Commercial Director, Kosmos Energy; Mr. Musa Salah, Regional Account

Manager, International Organizations, Ecobank; Mr. John Wasielewski, Principal Advisor for

SE4All financing initiative; Mr. Steven Duodu, Technical Director, Energy Foundation; Mr. Suraj

Wahab, CEO, Toyola Energy Ltd; Mr. Frank Yeboah Dadzie, Project Manager, ARB Apex and

moderated by Mr. Paolo Dalla Stella, Sustainable Development Analyst, UNDP, led a discussion

on the Challenges and Opportunities in Identifying and Financing RE Projects. Below are the key

outcomes of the discussion:


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Private Sector Involvement: It was explained that promoting renewable energy in Ghana

requires focusing on both the local and foreign market to build the sector. Private investment

was however dependent on how potential revenues compare to estimated costs. Thus the main

barrier here was finance which required close collaboration with the banking sector in order to

overcome and a significant potential for this existed particularly in the area of Feed-in-Tariffs.

There exists also a need to mitigate the risks to the financial sector through the use of mitigating

instruments such as partial risk guarantees and renewable energy payment agreements to

provide assurance to the financial sector. It was noted that one major challenge of investors is

identifying a matured bankable project with proper documentation and scale. Thus there was a

need for an allied coordination of projects and possibly the development of a master action plan

with a holistic approach in order to generate the needed support. Interest from the private

sector was described as tremendous, but requiring an enabling environment to facilitate it and a

clear regulatory framework to operate in.

Opportunities for Collaboration:An important factor in engaging the two sectors was the need

to equip the private sector especially the financial sector with knowledge of the renewable

energy industry. This would be crucial in developing and offering the long term financial products

required by the sector. Thus the financial sector needed to be engaged more in sustainable

energy programmes and workshops. Insurance companies could also collaborate with banking

institutions by financing loans for renewable energy projects so as to relieve banks of large risks.

Attention was however also drawn to the fact that in order to make significant impact, higher

risks may need to be borne by financing bodies and development partners since many potential

clean energy entrepreneurs (local informal artisans) existing need financial support with the

initial capital outlay in order to take off, citing the case of Toyola Ghana which was funded

without the requirement of collateral.

Issues Arising:It was explained that the current target of 50 megawatts in renewable energy was

not significant enough scale to venture into local manufacturing of renewable energy

technologies. This could however happen along the line as demand grows and the market

develops and thus the country could inculcate this into its plans. Evidence however shows that

Africa could make significant headway in renewable energy within a short period of time if

scaling up occurred and as such there was need for commitment from government and

practitioners on the ground. Also, progress in terms of the organization of groups and networks

in the sustainable energy industry was an important step towards generating financial support

from financial institutions. The development partners at the meeting explained that due to theneed for accountability and transparency, some degree of conditionalities on providing financial

support will have to be maintained. They however assured the meeting participants of their

continuous support for sustainable energy related projects.


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2.6 Presentations on the Way Forward towards Universal Energy Access

A brief presentation on the relationship betweengender and energy was made to participants by Dr.

Sabina Anokye Mensah, CEO of Anomena Ventures

and Ghana Gender and Energy Network. The

importance of mainstreaming gender issues in

sustainable energy project planning and

implementation was particularly highlighted. She

explained that gender equality was a key driver in

the delivery of energy services in developing

countries becauseproviding women and men with

access to productive resources has significant

implications for growth and poverty reduction and access to modern energy affected women

and men differently. Therefore it was crucial for policy makers, planners, governmental and non-

governmental organizations and academia be brought together to be sensitized on gender

mainstreaming in energy project planning and implementation to facilitate the attainment of

sustainable development in the energy sector in Ghana.

Mr. Chris Munteanu, CEO of Deng Ltd presenting on

the next steps towards universal energy access,

explained that more effort and finance would be

required for the electrification of the remaining 25

percent of the country as these consisted mainly of

remote communities, and this needed to be borne

in mind with the fact that donor aid may be

dwindling due to the ongoing financial crisis. In that

vein, conditions for financial support needed to be

reviewed within the country as the local cost of

capital is almost double what it is abroad. Financial

institutions may also need to consider investing in

reliable companies with reliable management instead of depending solely on bankable projects.He also noted that there was a need for some form of regulation on RE technology to ensure that

end users acquire a good experience which would generate trust, although this would be difficult

due to ECOWAS rules on trade across borders. It was emphasized that Ghana's role as leader in

the energy sector on the continent needed to be preserved so as to remain in contention for

financial support from development partners as well as exploit export opportunities in

Renewable Technology.


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2.7 Presentation on Renewable Energy Feed-in-Tariffs in Africa

A brief presentation was made by Mr. Ansgar Kiene, Africa Director of World Future Council, on a

study conducted on Renewable Energy Feed-in-Tariff (REFiT) policies and their potential for

socio-economic development in Africa. Lessons from the study indicated that for REFiTs to be

successful there needed to be:

High level political support

Broad Stakeholder Engagement (across diverse sectors)

Enabling Environment

Key recommendations included:

Engaging Stakeholders in Design Process

Design Content

o Must be in the context of local

development plans

o Factor Grid Issues

o Enable Cost Sharing

o Ensure Cost Recovery

Development of Enabling Environment

He concluded that energy was an but an enabler of development not the final solution, many

policies and technologies play a role in achieving sustainable development. As such REFits

needed to be integrated into the wider development strategy.

3 Conclusion

Mr. Ishmael Edjekumhene, Interim Coordinator of

SENG, on behalf of the organizers of the event,represented by Ms. Aneri Patel and Mr. Ansgar

Kiene, expressed gratitude to the workshop

participants for their participation in the day-long

event. He also thanked the organizers for providing a

platform for the launch of SENG. He indicated that

the task on hand was a difficult one and required a

coalescing of efforts in order to ensure that goals

and plans are properly implemented. The

programme was officially closed at 1800 hours.


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Appendix 1: List of Attendees

No. Name Organization

1. Joyce Oteng Bosomprah Ministry of Energy and Petroleum

2. Matia Vianello UNDP/PAC

3. Helen Morton UNDP/PAC

4. Raffi Balian State Department

5. Hentzmarc D.O.S

6. Lauren Zieglar State

7. Frank Wouters IRENA

8. N.D.K. Asante Energy Commission

9. Frank Adabre North Lite Solar Ltd.

10. Sarah Dedei Agbey SNV-Ghana

11. Humu-Anniebeini P.C

12. Deborah Gyamfi J n J Services Ltd.

13. Dorothy Adjei Energy Commission

14. Dr. Sabina Anokye Mensah Anomena Ventures/ GEDA-Ghana

15. Frank N. Aggrey Rural Energy

16. Senyo T. Drake Seli Technologies

17. Dinah Dotse HATOF

18. Gifty Asmah Daasgift

19. Samuel Adu-Asare Association of Ghana Solar Industries (AGSI)

20. Nate Heller Impact Energies

21. Edem Senanu Africa 2000 Network

22. Nana Darko Trade Works

23. Wisdom Togobo Ministry of Energy

24. Musa Sallah Ecobank

25. Alex Kwame Donyinah Green Earth Consult

26. Hon. John A. Jinapor Deputy Minister for Energy


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27. Nana Asante Frempong Solar 4 Ghana

28. Alex Nii Armah Hayford Tenant Resources and Advisory Centre

29. Ishmael Ayanore Ministry of Energy

30.

Nicholas Djan JnJ Services Ltd

31. Alberta Oteng Ministry of Energy and Petroleum

32. Kwasi Gyeabour Barefoot Power

33. George Ansah KITA

34. Roderick O. Ayeh MF Consultant

35. Engr Florence Senki Omatek Ghana

36.

Babatunde Kehinde Omatek Ghana

37. Emeka Uzowuihe Omatek Ghana

38. E. K. Kyei Toyola Energy

39. Suraj Woheb Toyola Energy

40. Mary Dawson EnD-I Osam Environment and Energy Consultancy

41. Nana Darko Cobbina Proforest

42.

Chris Munteanu DENG, CEO

43. Mahamud M. Mutaka M.Cube Engineering ltd

44. John Yeboah ECREE

45. Samuel Adoboe GIZ, Ghana

46. Benedicta Samey YVE-Ghana/Ghacco

47. Henry Yaw Mallet Sharp Eye Media ltd

48.

Stephen Kansuk UNDP

49. Eugenia Forson Tradeworks co. ltd

50. Kwame Jantuah Africa Energy Consortium

51. Anthony Obeng-Sarfo Solar4Ghana ltd

52. Sharif Touray DLA PIPER(US) LLP

53. Elizabeth Karascre Real Opportunities Network

54.

Zainab Mahena US Embassy


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55. Lamptey Lord US Embassy

56. Kassim Hussein Greener Impact International

57. Faustina Boakye GEDA/ Ghana Alliance for Cookstoves

58.

Lovans Owusu-Takyi SNV-Netherlands Dv Corp

59. Benjamin Nana Addo Donkor Don Boafo Ventures

60. Dr. Essel Ben Hagan Accra Institute of Technology

61. Sherrie Thomps Gobal Resolve Africa

62. Paolo D. Stella UNDP

63. Cecilia Ama Anderson Global Children Action Network

64.

Emil L. Ankomah Global Children Action Network

65. Frank Y. Dadzie ARB Apex Bank

66. Dr. Kwame Ampofo Resdem Consulting Ltd

67. A. A. Prosper Energy Commission

68. Joseph Senyo Kwashie Community and Family Aid Foundation

69. Christopher Agyekumhene KITE

70.

Stephany Lawson KITE

71. Paula Edze KITE

72. Ishmael Edjekumhene KITE

73. Ansgar Kiene AREA/WFC

74. Aneri Patel UN Foundation

75. Mirela Comaniciu Symbion Power

76.

Kent Healy US Embassy

77. Donald Hertzmark US Dept of State


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Appendix 2: Meeting Agenda Copy

Towards Universal Energy Access: Ghana and the Launch of the

Sustainable Energy Network Ghana (SENG)

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

M Plaza Hotel

Borstal Avenue (near Indian High Commission), Roman Ridge| Accra | Ghana

8:30 AM Arrival

9:00 AM Opening Plenary

Welcome, introductions and overview of the Sustainable Energy for All

initiative and the Energy Access Practitioner Network

Aneri Patel, Senior Associate, Energy Access, UN Foundation

9:10 AM Introduction of the African Renewable Energy Alliance (AREA)

Ansgar Kiene, Secretary General, AREA

9:20 AM Introduction of the Sustainable Energy Network Ghana (SENG)

Ishmael Edjekumhene, Interim Chair, SENG Secretariat

9:30 AM Session I: Sustainable Energy for All and Ghana's Country Action Plan

Moderator:

Dr. Ben Hagan, Director, Institute of Industrial Research (CSIR)

Panelists:Wisdom Ahiataku-Togobo, Director, Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy

Raffi Balian, Senior Advisor for Renewable and Bio-energy, US State

Department

Dr. Nii Darko Asante, Director, Technical Regulation, Energy Commission

Frank Wouters, Deputy Director-General, International Renewable Energy

Agency (IRENA)


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11:00 AM *Off icial launch of the Sustainable Energy Network Ghana*

Remarks by high-level officials

U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Gene A. CretzMs. Ruby Sandhu-Rojon, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident

Representative

Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister of Energy, Ghana (Invited)

Dr. A.K. Ofosu-Ahenkorah, Executive Secretary, Energy Commission

Ghana


11:45 AM Lunch

1:00 PM Session II: Improving awareness on energy technologies and

participatory community development

Moderator:

Aneri Patel, Senior Associate, Energy Access, United Nations Foundation

Panelists:

Faustina Boakye,Chairperson, Ghana Alliance for Clean Cookstoves

Samuel Adu-Asare, Consultant, Ghana Energy Development and Access

Project

Gifty Baaba Asmah, Founder/Executive Director, Daasgift QualityFoundation

Nate Heller, West Africa Director, Impact Energies

2:15 PM Coffee break

2:30 PM Session III: Challenges & Opportunities in Identifying & Financing

Renewable Energy Projects

Moderator: Paolo Dalla Stella, Sustainable Development Analyst, UNDP

Speakers:

Daniel-Alexander Schroth,Energy Specialist, African Development Bank

Philip Liverpool, Commercial Director, Kosmos Energy

Musa Salah, Regional Account Manager, International Organisations,

Ecobank

Commentators:

John Wasielewski, Principal Advisor for SE4ALL financing initiative

Steven Duodu, Technical Director, Energy Foundation

Suraj Wahab, CEO, Toyola Energy LtdFrank Yeboah Dadzie, Project Manager, ARB Apex Bank


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4.00 PM The way forward and next steps towards universal energy access in

Ghana by 2030:Moderated by Ishmael Edjekumhene, Interim Chair, SENG Secretariat

Remarks by:

Sabina Anokye Mensah, Chief Executive Officer, Anomena Ventures &

Ghana Gender & Energy Network

Chris Munteanu, CEO, Deng Ltd

4:45 PM Closing Remarks


5:00 PM Powering Africa through Feed-in Tariffs Advancing Renewable

Energy to Meet the Continents Electricity Needs

Briefing session on new study: Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFiT)

policies provide great potential for socio-economic development in Africa

Ansgar Kiene, Africa Director, World Future Council


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Appendix 3: Speaker Bios

Workshop Moderator

Mr. Ishmael Edjekumhene

Director, KITE

Interim Chair, SENG

Mr. Ishmael Edjekumhene is currently the Director of KITE. Mr. Edjekumhene joined KITE in 1999

as a Projects Officer. Mr. Edjekumhene has been involved in the development and/or execution

of several development-related research projects thereby contributing substantially to the body

of knowledge being generated within KITE. He has in addition been managing the KITE office in

Kumasi as well as being a member of the KITE Management Committee since 2003. He has thus

been involved in the decision making processes of the organization and the direct supervision of

the day to day operations of project and non-project staff. Mr. Edjekumhene has also

represented KITE at several international, regional and national fora/conferences notably among

them are the 2008 Washington Renewable Energy Conference and the 6th Conference of Parties

(COP 6) in Hague, the Netherlands in 2000.

Mr. Edjekumhenes current research interests include ensuring the provision and preservation of

energy public benefits such as access, energy efficiency, renewable energy and environmental

protection in a reformed energy sector, mainstreaming of energy in national development

programmes and climate change with emphasis on the monetization of carbon. He holds a

Masters degree in Economics (Public Policy) from the University of Hull, UK and Bachelors degree

in Land Economy (with first class honours) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and

Technology, Ghana. He is married to Rita and blessed with three kids Awura Ama, Nana Osei

and Oheneba.

Session I: Sustainable Energy for All and Ghana's Country Action Plan

Dr. Essel Ben Hagan (Moderator)

Director, Institute of Industrial Research (CSIR)

Dr. Hagan is the Associate Dean of Research at the Accra Institute of Technology and a

Consultant with over 25 years of experience in renewable energy and energy efficiency,

specializing in energy technologies and policy. He has consulting experience in West, East andSouthern Africa including Angola, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal,

Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. His professional experience includes roles as i) Consultant to United

Nations Environmental Program (2013) on the Development of Regional Efficient Lighting

Strategy for the ECOWAS Region; ii) Consultant to the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable

Energy and Energy Efficiency (2012) on the Development of Regional Renewable Energy Policy

of the ECOWAS Region; iii) Principal Consultant to Energy Commission, Ghana and UNDP (2012)

on the Preparation of Country Action Plan for Ghana on Sustainable Energy for All; and iv)

International Consultant to the UNDP (2012) on the Rapid Assessment and Gap Analysis on

Sustainable Energy for All in Gambia. Dr. Hagan is a Fellow and Past President of the Ghana

Institution of Engineers (2007-2008). In 2004-2011, he was the Director of the CSIR-Institute ofIndustrial Research, Ghana that conducted research and development as well as demonstration


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of improved technologies to support small and medium-scale industries in Ghana. In 2005-2010,

Dr. Hagan was a regular Visiting Scientist on the Demand-Side Energy Policy Research Project at

the Energy Analysis Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California,

Berkeley, USA.

Wisdom Ahiataku-TogoboDirector, Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy

Mr. Ahiataku-Togobo has a BSC degree in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Ghana,

Legon in 1988; and an MSC degree in Renewable Energy from the University of Oldenburg,

Germany in 1998. He also has a post graduate certificate in Investment Appraisal and Risk

Management from Queens University, Kingston Canada in 2003. He started his career in the

renewable energy sector in 1989 and has, over the years, developed his skills and capacity in the

implementation of renewable energy programmes for rural energy access. He has very rich

experience in the management and application of various renewable energy technologies for

decentralised electrification in off-grid location for sustainable development. He is currently theDirector of Renewable Energy at the Ministry of Energy Ghana. Prior to this, he was the

Renewable Energy Expert for the World Bank Ghana Energy Development and Access Project

(GEDAP) from May 2008 to November 2010. He has also served as the Project Coordinator for

the UNDP/EC Household Energy Programme in Ghana from January 2006 to February 2008. Mr.

Togobo is a visiting lecture and has a number of publications, articles and reports on rural energy

and sustainable development to his credit.

Raffi V. Balian

Senior Advisor for Renewable and Bio-energy, US State Department

Mr. Balianis a Senior Advisor for Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of

Energy Resources. He represents the United States at the Global Bioenergy Partnership and the

International Renewable Energy Agency. Most recently, Mr. Balian was a part of the climate

change team and served as policy advisor on Europe and renewable energy issues to the Special

Envoy for Climate Change. He has previously served as a Pearson Congressional Fellow in the

office of U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York. Mr. Balians overseas assignments

included serving as Cultural Affairs Officer in the U.S. Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria and as Deputy

Chief of the Economic / Commercial Section of the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, Syria. Prior to

joining the U.S. State Department, Mr. Balian was a home builder and real estate entrepreneur in

the Washington, DC metropolitan area. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania andreceived his Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics and Political

Science.

Dr. Nii Darko AsanteDirector, Technical Regulation, Energy Commission

Dr. Asante is a Chemical Engineer with over 20 years experience in energy management andoptimisation. In his current role, he heads the four core divisions of Ghanas Energy Commissionwhich deal with the development and enforcement of regulations in the electricity, natural gasand renewable energy sectors, the promotion of Renewable Energy, and the development and

execution of initiatives to promote the efficient use of energy. Following the launch of GhanasCountry Action Plan on Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL), Dr Asante is also leading the Energy


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Commissions activities in coordinating the refinement and implementation of the ActionPlan. DrAsante was previously the Technology Manager of the Energy Optimisation business of AspenTechnology Inc., where he developed tools and implemented solutions for Energy Managementand Optimisation at Petrochemical plants all over the world.

Frank Wouters

Deputy Director-General of IRENA

Frank Wouters was appointed Deputy Director-General of the International Renewable Energy

Agency (IRENA) in September 2012. He possesses over 20 years of international experience in the

field of renewable energy. Mr. Wouters previously held several senior management positions in

leading organizations and institutions in the fields of renewable energy and sustainability,

including Evelop International BV, The Netherlands; Sol Holding AG, Germany; NICE International,

The Gambia; and TDAU University of Zambia. Before he joined IRENA he served as the Director of

Masdar Power, a developer and operator of renewable power generation projects, where he was

responsible for projects representing enterprise value of more than $3bn in Asia, Africa andEurope. Mr. Wouters has worked throughout his career with a wide variety of stakeholders,

including the private sector and government officials at the highest levels. He has supported

sustainable energy policy in many countries and recently played a lead role in the formulation of

Abu Dhabis renewable energy policy. He is regularly invited as a speaker at international

conferences and high-level meetings. Mr. Wouters holds a Masters degree in Mechanical

Engineering from Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands.

Session II: Improving awareness on energy technologies and participatory community

development

Aneri Patel (Moderator)

Senior Associate, Energy Access, United Nations Foundation

Aneri helps manage the Energy Access Practitioner Network, a 1200+ member network of off-grid

energy professionals around the globe and leads the Network's Africa work. She has extensive

on-the-ground experience in Bangladesh, India, and Uganda providing clean energy solutions for

the low-income market. In South India, she started a business that created the first supply chain

for solar lanterns, water filters, and improved cookstoves to a market of 90,000 rural

households. She has recently founded a non-profit social enterprise called ENVenture and serves

as its Executive Director; ENVenture is an international fellowship program for young socialentrepreneurs to work on energy access. She also has experience working with carbon finance

for cookstove projects in Africa. She has a Masters in Environment and Development from the

London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA in International Studies from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Faustina Boakye

Chairperson of the Ghana Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GHACCO)

Faustina is a Gender and Communications Specialist with 25 years of experience. She has a

Masters of Professional Studies (MPS) degree in International Development from Cornell

University in Ithaca, NY, USA, post graduate diploma in Communications and a B.A. in English


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from the University of Ghana and certificates in Community Development Leadership by Women,

Advocacy and Citizen Engagement from the Coady International Institute in Canada and Local

Governance and Rural Decentralisation from the Centre for Development Innovations of the

University of Wageningen in the Netherlands, Networking and Photography.

Through the Gender and Energy Network, Ghana (GEDA) Faustina generated so much interest inenergy issues and became a member of many high level international groups, where she has

effectively contributed through the Working Group of the Practitioner Energy Network of

Sustainable Energy for All of the UN Foundation, Partnership for Clean Indoor Air (PCIA), Working

Group of the Gender Coordinating Committee and Gender and Empowerment COP of Global

Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. Also a member of the Women's Major Group of Commission on

the Status of Women (CSW) and the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) preparation

on Rio +20 Summit, the ECOWAS High Level Energy Forum, that saw the launch of the ECOWAS

Energy Plan, the Ghana Country Plan for UN Sustainable Energy for All, the presentation of the

Global Energy Status Report, Energy Access (Accra October 2012), and a Member, Women

Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN), an

International Network on gender and development.

Mr. Samuel Adu-Asare

Consultant, Ghana Energy Development and Access Project

Mr. Adu-Asare has been working in the energy sector for over twenty years. He began his career

in 1992-2001 as an Associate Programme Officer at the National Energy Board/Ministry of Energy

(now the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum). He was part of the team that worked with the then

Energy Policy Adviser to established the Social Impact Assessment Unit (SIA) where gender

issues were seen as key in energy project development and management and weremainstreamed in research and policy considerations at the Ministry of Energy. He left the Ministry

of Energy in 2001 as a Senior Programme Officer to the Energy Commission where he served in

the Planning and Petroleum Departments he continued to mainstream research in impact

assessment in a regulatory organisation. Due to his tenacity and resilience to work, Mr Samuel

Adu-Asare was appointed as the Secretary to the Technical Committees of the Energy

Commission by the Executive Secretary. He left the Energy Commission as a Principal Programme

Officer to the private sector and worked as a country manager with Global Sustainable Energy

Solutions-Ghana, a Renewable Energy Consultancy firm and an affiliate of Global Sustainable

Energy Solutions-Australia, from 2007-2009. Within these periods, Mr. Adu-Asare also served as

the Secretary to the Association of Ghana Solar Industries (AGSI) and worked tirelessly with the

President to build an industrial association in the country to champion the cause of promotion of

solar energy in Ghana. From 2010 to date, Mr. Adu-Asare has been the Consultant for the AGSI

under the World Bank GEDAP Solar Component project and has been responsible for the

development and execution of a market outreach plan.

Mrs. Gifty Baaba Asmah

Founder and Executive Director of Daasgift Quality Foundation-FNGO

Gifty is one of the pioneers who are championing the course for the recognition of Small

Microfinance Institutions in Ghana. She recognizes the key role microfinance play in energy

access. She was a founding member of and the past Interim Vice Chairman of the Ghana


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Association of Microfinance Companies (GAMC) .She has immense knowledge and experience in

the Ghana Microfinance sector and Rural Banking, and has participated in several microfinance

and Energy conferences/workshops, both locally and internationally. She is a member of Global

Alliance for Clean Cook stoves, Ghana Alliance for Clean Cook Stoves, a Steering Committee

Member of Africa Renewable Energy Alliance (AREA), UN Foundation Practitioners Network,

Ghana Solar Industry (AGSI) and Association of Financial NGOs (ASSFIN). She holds a

Postgraduate Diploma in Management and Administration and an intermediate certificate from

the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ghana. a certificate holder in Community Development

and Risk Management issued by MDI-New Hampshire University/GHAMFIN and a pioneer of the

MDI/GHAMFIN/GIMPA Programme; Diploma Certificate holder in Strategic Management issued

by GIMPA. She is a member of the International Professional Managers Association (IPMA) as

well as the Chartered Institute of Administration and Management Consultants (CIAMC-GH).

Prior to founding DQF, she worked with a reputable rural bank (Ahantaman Rural Bank) in Ghana

for twelve years and rose to the rank of a Deputy General Manager. Her rich experience and

knowledge in microfinance issues and practices has shaped DQFs mission and vision into theinnovative organization it is today. Gifty was the proud Winner of 2011 Most Influential Woman In

Power Award for her role she is playing in energy access through microfinance.

Nate Heller

West Africa Director, Impact Energies

Nate has 14 years of experience in international development, a majority of that in West Africa.

For seven of those years he has been building innovative distribution channels for low cost

products. He is fluent in French and Senegalese Wolof, conversational in three others and has a

Masters from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and an MBA from

Yale University.

Session III: Challenges & Opportunities in Identifying & Financing Renewable Energy Projects

Paolo Dalla Stella (Moderator)

Sustainable Development Analyst, UNDP

Paolo received a Bachelor and a Masters in Development and International Cooperation at the

University of Bologna. His Masters thesis was on the Decentralization of natural resource

management in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. He has worked for the Permanent Mission of

Italy to the UN in NYC, Legambiente in Rome, and finally joined UNDP Ghana Country Office in2010. As Sustainable Development Analyst, he supports the implementation of programmes

related to energy and environment, in particular climate change, disaster risk reduction, energy

efficiency and renewable energy.

Dr. Daniel-Alexander Schroth

Principal Energy Specialist, African Development Bank

Daniel is Principal Energy Specialist in the Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department

of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the coordinator of the Sustainable Energy for All

(SE4All) Africa Hub hosted by the AfDB. Daniel has extensive experience in energy policy. Prior to

joining the AfDB he worked for several years for the European Commission in both headquarters


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and the field, for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London and in the

private sector. Daniel holds a PhD and Masters in International Relations from the University of

Cambridge, and a business degree from Reims Management School and the European School of

Business Reutlingen.

Philip LiverpoolCommercial Director, Kosmos Energy

Philip Liverpool is the Commercial Director of Kosmos Energy Ghana HC, a role which includes responsibility

for dealings/negotiations with Joint Venture partners and Government. Prior to that he worked for Shell

International, initially in technical roles and in the latter half of his career he worked in Business

Development, focusing on Asia Pacific, the Former Soviet Union, the Middle East and Africa. Philip holds an

MSc in Applied Geophysics, from Technische Universiteit Delft.

Musa Salah

Regional Account Manager, International Organisations, Ecobank

Musa is responsible for relationship management with the United Nations organizations across

the 32 countries where Ecobank is present. He obtained his BA from Legon in Ghana, MSc at

Surrey, UK and post graduate diploma at Fordham (NY) USA. Worked with the United Nations in

NY, Ethipia and Nigeria from 2003-2008. He loves to play Tennis.

John Wasielewski

Principal Advisor for SE4ALL financing initiative

John is an advisor to financial institutions, emerging market funds, governments and foundations

on mobilizing private forms of investment financing for a wide range of development efforts.

John was the founding Director of the Office of Development Credit (ODC) at USAID, which

promotes the U.S. government's use of credit in connection with efforts to encourage local

private-sector lending for SMEs, infrastructure finance, energy projects, housing, and urban

services globally. Under his leadership, USAID issued over 250 guarantees mobilizing upwards of

$3 billion of local capital in 64 countries over 13 years. More recently, John assisted the Danish

and Spanish Governments and the African Development Bank in establishing The African

Guaranty Fund (AGF), a new vehicle to stimulate lending to SMEs across Africa. He is now an

external advisor to the AGF.

Steven Duodu

Technical Director, Energy Foundation

Steven holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Higher Institute of

Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Varna, Bulgaria and Part 1 of Institute of Chartered

Accountants, Ghana. He is an Associate Member of Ghana Institution of Engineers, Institution of

Electrical Engineers, U.K and Association of Energy Engineer, USA. He has experience in 33kV,

11kV and low voltage distribution networks project supervision and management.

Suraj Wahab

CEO, Toyola

Suraj is the Founder and CEO of Toyola energy, an improved cookstoves manufacturer in Ghana.


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Suraj began training with Enterprise Works (a USAID-sponsored NGO). In June 2006, Toyola

Energy Ltd. was legally registered with core operations in Accra, Ghana. Toyola won the Ashden

2011 International Gold Award.

Frank Yeboah Dadzie

Project Manager, ARB Apex Bank

Frank Yeboah Dadzie holds an Mphil in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and is an expert in

off-grid and grid connected solar design, installation, business and project development and

financing. He began his career in renewable energy as a trainer at the Deng Solar Training Centre,

Accra and then was engaged as a consultant/Advisor for the Free Energy Foundation

(Netherlands) to assist in implementing the Solar Now project in Ghana which helped in the

creation and strengthening of renewable energy businesses in Ghana. Since 2008, he has served

as Project Manager for Ghanas biggest off-grid Solar Project which is aimed at financing solar

systems for remote deprived rural dwellers through an innovative microfinance system

supported by the Rural Banks under the ARB Apex Bank. The project has so far financed over14000 solar systems to the poorest households of Ghana. The project ends in November, 2013.

He has a number of conference presentations and publications to his credit including a

publication on off-grid solar financing in the Africa Energy Yearbook 2012.

The way forward and next steps towards universal energy access in Ghana by 2030

Dr. Sabina Anokye MensahChief Executive Officer, Anomena Ventures & Ghana Gender & Energy Network

Dr. Sabina Anokye Mensah is the Chief Executive Officer of ANOMENA Ventures, an organizationthat concentrates on the production and dissemination of improved stoves based in Tema,Ghana. She is also the National Focal Person for the Gender and Energy Network in Ghana, whichworks on mainstreaming gender concerns into energy projects. Additionally, she is the NationalFocal Person for Voices of African Mothers, which aims at peace building among women at thegrassroots level. She has travelled extensively around the world as resource person at variousfora including Resource Person in the Global Gender and Climate Alliance TOT workshop in AddisAbaba, Ethiopia, Nairobi, Kenya, Resource Person in Institutional Gender Mainstreaming andmainstreaming gender concerns into energy projects at the national level. A published author,she has covered a wide range of topics including the development of biofuel extractiontechnology at the village level in Ghana, and the use of jatropha oil in agro-processing machinesof rural women.

Chris MunteanuCEO, Deng Ltd

Mr. Munteanu is the CEO for DENG Ltd. He is an expert in International Business, particularly inthe field of Renewable Energy and sustainable integration of RE into developing economies.After more than 20 years of experience in working with research labs and engineering companies(such as Bell Labs, Foster Wheeler, HP and DENG), Chris has become a passionate advocate forsustainable energy and an active investor in the field of Solar Energy in particular. He hasconducted business in more than 30 countries, and is a firm believer in educational andtechnological development being an integral and necessary pre-requisite for social and economic

advancement. He is one of the founders of DSTC PV training centers, a founding member ofAGSI (Association of Ghana Solar Industries) and an active investor in several companies. Mr.


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Munteanu holds degrees in Mathematics and Physics from the National College Mihai Viteazul(Bucharest, Romania) and University of Texas (Arlington, TX) and sits on the board of severaltechnology companies in the US and Africa.

Briefing session on new study: Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFiT) policies provide great

potential for socio-economic development in Africa

Ansgar KieneAfrica Director, World Future Council

Ansgar Kiene worked as an International Media and Communications Manager in Dsseldorf andLondon for eight years, developing media strategies and advertising campaigns for majorcorporations, such as Canon Europe. During this time, he took sabbatical leave to travel aroundAfrica with his wife for one year. Before joining the World Future Council in October 2007, he wasthe European Campaign Coordinator at the Food First Information and Action Network (FIAN)International Secretariat in Heidelberg working on the Human Right to Food. Prior to this, Ansgar

prepared the Civil G8 Dialogue 2007 and coordinated the G8-NGO-Platform for the German NGOForum on Environment & Development in Bonn. He also coordinated the European EnergyRevolution Tour at Greenpeace Germany in Hamburg. Since March 2010 Ansgar runs the AfricaLiaison Office in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Universal Energy Access Ghana, 5-2013

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