‘Build career in Energy Sector’
The Minister of Energy, Mr Boakye Agyarko, has urged young people to build their capacity in the energy sector to help sustain the sector.
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He said the growing demand for power in the country required that the potential of young people was tapped to find innovative solutions to the challenges in the sector.
He was speaking at the launch of the Future Energy Leaders (FEL), Ghana, programme in Accra yesterday. It is an initiative to groom young leaders in the energy sector.
Participants in the launch were drawn from stakeholders in the energy sector and civil society organisations (CSOs).
Apt theme
Mr Agyarko described the theme for the event as appropriate, especially, given the fact that the current search for a lasting solution to the energy sector challenges required people with the right expertise and technical ability.
“It is crucial for young people to be actively involved in the development of energy solutions because they will have to take over from the older generation that will soon leave the scene,” he said.
The minister further stressed the need for the country to leverage its solar energy potential as an alternative source of power.
“The solar revolution is driving many changes, but the utility companies that have invested a lot in energy infrastructure need to begin to look at that resource to avoid redundancy. We should be able to efficiently make use of this God-given resource for our benefit,” he urged.
Mr Agyarko also for strategic partnerships between public and private sector operators, as well as CSOs, to sustainably grow the sector.
Youth urged
The Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, in a speech, said the launch of the initiative was timely since quality leadership in the energy sector was key to the effective management of energy resources.
He said it was important to build the capacity of the local industry players to equip them with the technical expertise to manage the sector efficiently.
“It is refreshing to learn that the pool of human resource at the Energy Commission is made of local people. This means that if we are able to develop local talents and tap into their expertise, we could even export our human resource to our economic benefit,” he said.
Mr Ashigbey urged young people to strive to constantly upgrade their knowledge to improve their lives. He, however, warned against the tendency to cut corners.
“The youth need to believe in themselves as being better as any other person anywhere and also believe in their ability to contribute to solving national challenges. They should, however, not put the cart before the horse,” he cautioned.