Tema-Ghana, Dec. 18, GNA – The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in collaboration with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Training Centre, has successfully completed a seven-week training programme for 24 electrical engineers and technicians in West Africa.
The 24 participants were made up of 12 electrical engineers and 12 technicians drawn from Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia.
Participants in the training received tuition and practical on improving their skills in power and distribution planning, design, system protection and control, as well as maintenance of electrical equipment.
Mr. Godfred Mensah, the Director of the ECG Training Centre in Tema, speaking at a closing ceremony, said apart from the practical and theoretical knowledge imparted to them, field trips to some electrical installations, such as a bulk supply point, were undertaken.
Mr. Mensah said the trainees had developed new change projects as a result of the training session, which he noted they would actively pursue upon returning to their individual utility companies.
He expressed the hope that the expanded specialist knowledge they received over the past seven weeks would help them develop in their careers.
Mr. Oda Ryotaro, the Deputy Country Director, JICA Office, Ghana, said on his part that his outfit considered the energy sector as one of the priority areas for cooperation and therefore implemented many activities not only in Ghana but also across the West African sub-region of that sector.
Mr. Ryotaro said JICA Ghana was supporting the regional training by working with government partners who benefited from the technical cooperation, while the ECG Training Centre conducted the training in line with its vision of becoming the leading hub of excellence in distribution system operation and maintenance in West Africa.
Mr. Owusu Afriyie Aheng, a Director of Renewable Energy and Energy Consultancy stationed at the ECG Head Office, chairing the ceremony, thanked JICA for the support, indicating that the ECG Training Centre was ready to provide such competent training and more to others across the sub-region and beyond.
