By Dominic Hlordzi
Sogakope SHS has won the 4th edition of the Energy Commission’s Renewable Energy Challenge.
With their project, “Farmers Friend”, SOGASCO beat five schools at the grand finale after winning the regional and zonal competitions.
They took home the trophy, cash and other prizes worth 220 thousand Ghana Cedis.
This year’s competition highlights Mechanised Small-Scale Agriculture Using Renewable Energy Technologies.
125 senior high schools took part in the nationwide competition this year.
This is a remarkable increase from the 96 schools that participated in the first national challenge in 2021.
After the final zonal competition in Kumasi, Dormaa SHS, Sogakope SHS, Serwaa Kesse Girls’ SHS, Mfantsiman Girls SHS, Kwabre SHS and Yaa Asantewaa Girls SHS qualified to the final.
The schools presented agriculture-based projects that rely on Renewable Energy Technologies.
The wife of the Vice President, Samira Bawumia said adopting renewable energy in the agricultural sector is critical to food security and the creativity of students is key for the future sustainability of agriculture and other sectors.
She said the World is facing unprecedented challenges of climate change, food insecurity, scacity of resources and growing population and therefore it is imperative that we harness the power of innovation to find sustainable solutions.
She observed that in the hearts and minds of our young participants, we see a promising future.
“Imagine the possibilities from solar-powered systems that are efficiently used our most abundant resource, which is sunlight, all while ensuring that crops thrive in even the most challenging conditions to the prospects of wind turbines turning the power of the breeze into energy to drive agricultural machinery and to enhance productivity on our farms and to the biogas digesters converting organic waste into clean energy source for our rural communities.” She explains.
These she stated are not just ideas but solutions that can transform the lives of small-scale farmers, reduce our carbon footprints and secure our food supply for generations to come.
Mr. Bawumia commended the Energy Commission for the Renewable Energy Challenge initiative and said that it honed the skills of the SHS students in the area of research, innovation and development which will prepare them for the future.
Deputy Energy Minister Mr. Andrews Agyapa Mercer also commended the Energy Commission for the Renewable Energy Challenge initiative.
He said renewable energy is central to energy transition and overall energy security.
He explained that the country abounds in renewable energy resources ans their development and use have progressed satisfactorily over the years but there is more room for improvement.
Mr Agyapa Mercer noted that competitions like the Renewable Energy Challenge are not only useful in awareness creation but also demonstrate the usefulness of renewable energy in solving everyday problems.
“This competition is not just an event. It is a testament of our believe in the creative thinking and problem-solving abilities of our students.” He emphasized.
He said the competition is an investment into our future where the youth are empowered to be change-makers, leaders and visionaries who can navigate the complexities of the energy sector in a way that is both environmentally responsible and economically viable.
The Deputy Director General of the Ghana Education Service, GES, Dr. Kwabena Tandoh said the Ghana Education Service has takes the issue of climate change very seriously and have taken steps to ensure that renewable energy is included in the our curriculum.
He said the GES is ensuring that students are in schools that are not only cemtres of academic excellence but also hubs of innovation and leadership.
This he observed can be seing in the many projects that the students in the competition have developed across the country.
He said the GES will work to increase the number of participating schools in the next challenge.
Welcoming the participants to the finals, the Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Rev. Oscar Amonoo-Neizer said the Challenge was born out of the Commission’s mandate under the Renewable Energy Act, 2011 (Act 832), which is to promote the development and efficient use of renewable energy resources through public education, training and regulation of entrepreneurs in the sector.
“It is also to facilitate the mainstreaming of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and programmes into the curriculum of educational and training institutions.”
He thanked the partners, especially, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), French Development Agency (AFD), Ashesi University, Bui Power Authority, Kosmos Energy Ghana, Volta River Authority, Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) and GTV for their support.
At the end of the competition, Serwaa Kese Girls SHS came 6th. Dormaa SHS was in the 5th position, Mfantsiman Girls SHS had the fourth prize. Kwabre SHS came third while Yaa Asantewaa Girls SHS won the second prize. A member of the SOGASCO winning team is Joseph Awuye.
All the six schools received cash prizes and various items including streetlights, books, solar panels, ipad, laptops, and phones.
