$50m Solar Plant launched at Kpone
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has asked the government to protect and support Ghanaian enterprises, since they hold the key to enhancing the country’s economy.
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He said most wholly Ghanaian-owned businesses were unable to expand their operations because of the unfriendly business atmosphere, including an overburdened tax regime and destructive tendencies by state officials on those businesses.
Former President Kufuor said this at the launch of Solar Power Solutions (SPS) at the company’s manufacturing plant at Kpone in the Greater Accra Region.
The launch was attended by high-ranking state and foreign officials, including the Akyempimhene of Kumasi, Oheneba Adusei Poku, who was delegated by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to perform the official launch.
Also present was the Head Pastor of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Pastor Mensa Otabil, who was the guest speaker.
About SPS
The $50-million facility has the capacity to produce all sizes of installation with products, including micro/macro solar grid systems.
It also supplies and installs off-grid and grid systems, photovoltaic systems and PV street lights.
It offers solar power solutions that will harness unlimited power and opportunities, while promoting human development and security.
It is a subsidiary of Strategic Security Systems (3SiL), a leading supplier of specialised goods and services, including solar lighting systems and other associated bespoke products.
Celebrate them
Former President Kufuor said the establishment of SPS was an indication that Ghanaians still had confidence in the country’s economy.
“The Chairman and Founder of 3SiL, Dr Francis Akuamoah Boateng, needs to be protected, appreciated and supported both by the government and Ghanaians,” he said.
According to him, without great thinkers and generational movers such as Dr Akuamoah Boateng, the country would look up to other nations for development.
Mr Kufuor said a lot could be done by the government to ensure that companies were supported to contribute their quota to national development.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II
In a speech read on his behalf by Nana Adusei Poku, the Asantehene said the huge investment made in the establishment of SPS was a strong step in harnessing natural resources.
He said renewable energy was the gateway to every developing country, adding that SPS’s presence in Ghana had opened the way for the country to secure its energy needs.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu, therefore, pledged his support for SPS and urged the management to go beyond West Africa.
3SiL ready
Dr Akuamoah Boateng said the SPS was born out of his desire to make a meaningful contribution to the growth of Ghana and the entire West African sub-region.
He said the company had, through its innovation, improved the lives of Ghanaians, especially rural dwellers, through the installation of over 20,000 solar street lights in the Northern Region and across Ghana.
He said one of the keys to supporting the growth of Ghana was for the private sector not to only act as agents of change and transformation but also become worldwide ambassadors of the potential offered by Ghana and the continent at large.
“Both the public and the private sectors must actively collaborate in order to dramatically increase access to energy,” he added.
He expressed appreciation to Ecobank Ghana for its assistance and contribution towards the establishment of the solar plant.
Create the environment
Pastor Otabil urged the government to allow the citizenry to go about their businesses without interference.
He said once the rules and regulations were set for the people, “people will not need the government to build their future for them, since they can do it themselves”.
He said almost every business person in Ghana was now concerned about whether the government liked him or not, a situation which, he said, was affecting the economy, adding that people must be allowed to operate freely without seeking favours from the government.