Ing. Justice Ohene-Akoto calls for African solutions to Africa’s energy crises at World Energy Congress

Founder of the Africa Sustainable Energy Centre (ASEC), Ing. Justice Ohene-Akoto has called for experts and innovators in Africa’s energy sector to work together to solve the energy problems faced by the continent.

Speaking during a high-level discussion, he called on stakeholders to invest in the energy sector as an increase in the availability and production of power will mean a boost in GDP. Recognizing that industrialization is key, he underscored the critical role of a robust energy sector as its backbone. Without reliable electricity, the GDP suffers, impacting every facet of our economy referring to some of his academic publications on the value of lost load, in other words, the economic value of power outages.

According to Ing. Ohene-Akoto, Ghana lost about 6% of her GPD as a result of power outages in the year 2016. 

“This is a country whose energy access is about 87% which is impressive compared to most African countries. Over 600 million out of the about 1.4 billion population in Africa do not have access to electricity. That is over 40% of the Africa’s population. If a country whose energy access of about 87% loses 6% of its GDP due to erratic power supply, just imagine how much countries with energy access of less than 40% are losing. This should inform stakeholders on where to invest. If we invest in our energy sector, we are not going to lose this chunk of our GDP, it means we are going to boost the economy. This means more money in our pockets, nobody is going to run away,” Ing. Ohene-Akoto said.

The engineer further stated that harnessing the potential of the youth by employing them and the power of industrialization is the way forward.

“The African issue can only be solved the African way. What we are looking for as the youth in Africa are jobs and that means industrialization - The backbone of that is energy. Get the energy right, get the industrialization and when you create jobs, you cut down the migration and other issues,” he said.

He underscored that messaging is crucial; reframing energy access and power outages in terms of their economic losses and social impacts is essential to drive tangible solutions.

Ing. Justice Ohene-Akoto speaking at the 26th World Energy Congress

He also highlighted the role his outfit ASEC seeks to play to complement the African Energy Bank set to be established to counteract the financial deficiency in the continent’s energy sector.

Ing. Justice Ohene-Akoto was part of a panel that consisted of high-level personalities and stakeholders in the African energy sector including H. E. Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Nigeria, and H. E. Dr. Omar Farouk, Regional Vice Chair Africa, World Energy Council, and Secretary-General, African Petroleum Producers (APPO).

Themed “Energy for 2 billion people: Want more, waste no?”, the group of experts sought to identify the problems Africa as a continent faces in its efforts to transition to sustainable energy. This panel discussion was part of a series of sessions held during the 26^th World Energy Congress held in Rotterdam, Netherlands from the 22^nd to 25^th of April 2024.

He also gave the welcome address at a roundtable workshop where he urged older industry players to transfer their knowledge to the younger generation.

The overarching theme for this year’s congress was “Redesigning energy for people and planet” which makes energy safety a critical talking point. The four-day event had various activities that involved expert dialogues, practical workshops and focusing on key areas that bridge sectors, geographies, generations and systems to make faster, fairer, and more far-reaching energy transitions happen.

This year’s World Energy Congress celebrated 100 years of leveraging the power of collective action to drive change through the world energy community. It brought together around 5,000 delegates and 18,000 total attendees, including up to 70 Ministers and 250 C-suite speakers to drive innovation, idea exchange and sharing of best practices.

What is ASEC?

Africa Sustainable Energy Centre (ASEC) is an independent think tank founded in 2023 by Ing. Justice Ohene-Akoto.

This organization looks to contribute to unbiased discourse on energy in Africa and critique government policies that may hamper progress in this direction. It comprises a collective of brilliant experts across various fields including energy, engineering, research and media.

ASEC seeks to provide solutions and a blueprint for sustainable energy for now and the future for Africa and the rest of the World.