A German intervention to promote decent work, The Facility Investing for Employment (IFE), has signed a grant agreement with Prefos Limited, a Ghanaian-owned electrical engineering firm, for the construction and operation of a €5.25-million assembly plant in Ejisu in the Ashanti Region.

When completed, the project will have the capacity to produce and assemble 75 megawatts (MW) of semi-knocked down solar-powered streetlights and solar panels for sale in the domestic and international markets.

The factory will be equipped with the capacity to produce 600 pieces of LEDs and 500 pieces of solar powered LEDs per day.

This will lead to the creation of 141 new full-time jobs, with its resultant positive effect on the income and working conditions of 150 existing staff members.

The IFE provided a grant of €1.1 million while the grantee’s contribution is €4.15 million.

The Managing Director of IFE, Steffen Kuhl, who signed on behalf of his institution in Accra yesterday, said the investment was part of a larger project which included the construction of a warehouse for the storage of solar-powered light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and grids of LEDs, a workshop for maintenance and installation purposes, and an administration block.

Mr Kuhl said the project would also have a new 570kVA solar farm to provide an alternative sustainable source of electricity to the assembly line and for community use.

That, he explained, would come with an expected yearly power of roughly 100,000kVA and the procurement and installation of a 480kVA standby power generator to supplement the national grid to ensure quality and reliable power supply at the project site.

Background

Ghana generates electricity through several means, including hydro, thermal and solar power.

Though there is adequate generation capacity, there are still inefficacies in power distribution and maintenance of the infrastructure.

Also, many streetlights are sodium-based, hence they consume large amounts of energy.

The government is, therefore, promoting energy efficiency and has called on the private sector to support the delivery of adequate energy-saving and cost-effective energy solutions, such as street lighting needed to ensure the safety of road users.

The LEDs, Mr Kuhl indicated, would significantly reduce power consumption, save the various municipalities money and enable them to install more streetlights in underserved areas of the country.

He, therefore, stressed the commitment of the IFE, an investment facility created by the KfW Development Bank of Germany for the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), to support innovative projects that promote job creation in the country.

Prefos Limited

The Executive Director of Prefos Limited, Alexie Kwasi Fosu, for his part, gave an assurance that his outfit was committed to the goals of the partnership and that the project would be a significant step towards job creation.

He said it would also serve as an avenue to provide apprenticeship opportunities which would promote wealth creation in Ghana and the rest of Africa.

Mr Fosu stressed the need to adopt environmentally friendly technologies capable of securing the well-being of the planet for the benefit of future generations as the world struggles with the increasing impact of climate change.

The Prefos Executive Director described the partnership as timely, saying “it advances the global quest for solutions in this domain.”

Source: graphic.com.gh