Akuse, Ghana – May 29, 2026 – The ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEEE), in collaboration with the Volta River Authority (VRA) Academy and the Takoradi Technical University, successfully concluded a two-week training workshop on Clean Mini-Grid Design, Installation, and Inspection in Akuse, Ghana.
The workshop, which ran from May 18 to May 29, 2026, brought together 14 participants, including experts from three institutions in The Gambia and two institutions in Ghana. These institutions are partners of ECREEEE under the framework of the ECOWAS regional program aimed at certifying skills in photovoltaic mini-grid and solar home system installation.
The intensive training was designed to strengthen the capacity of experts from ECOWAS Member States in the design, installation, and inspection of solar photovoltaic mini-grids. The training methodology combined theoretical sessions, practical laboratory demonstrations, and field visits to selected island communities on the south side of the Volta River, where solar photovoltaic mini-grids serve as the primary source of electricity.
Following the regional training-of-trainers session for designers, installers, and inspectors of photovoltaic mini-grids held in Benin in October 2025, the Ghana workshop marked the beginning of the national-level replication phase of the training program. Similar sessions are expected to be organized in Benin, Cabo Verde, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.
The program forms part of broader regional efforts to harmonize renewable energy certification systems across the ECOWAS region and to strengthen technical expertise in sustainable energy solutions.