Wa Technical Institute in Ghana’s Upper West Region opened a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Training Centre this week, aiming to equip 100 electrical trainees with hands-on renewable energy skills within a year. The facility is part of the EU-Ghana Pact for Skills Integrated Action on Green Jobs and Skills, funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), alongside the Ghana TVET Service and other partners.
The centre will provide practical training in solar installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting, preparing young people for jobs and entrepreneurship in Ghana’s growing green economy. At the commissioning on 17 June, Dr Hassan Rashid Pelpuo, Member of Parliament for Wa Central and Minister of State for Special Initiatives, said the investment must prove its value through the quality of training and the opportunities it creates for graduates.
“The real test of this investment will not be what we see at the ceremony but what follows: the quality of training provided, the competence of graduates, the services we provide and opportunities they can create,” Dr Pelpuo said. He urged the institute to integrate the new equipment into daily lessons and ensure instructors get the support needed for effective teaching. He also called for continuous monitoring of students’ skills, workplace experience, and transition into employment or self-employment.
Gisela Spreitzhofer, team leader for Governance and Security at the European Union Delegation to Ghana, said the project fits into a wider EU-Ghana effort to improve technical and vocational education and training (TVET), address youth unemployment, and respond to labour market changes. “This is exactly the logic behind our support to the TVET system: providing modern equipment for hands-on learning, strengthening instructors’ capacities, improving curricula, promoting competency-based training and building partnerships with industry,” she said.
Spreitzhofer added that green and digital skills are becoming more important as the global economy shifts toward cleaner energy and technology-driven industries. The initiative aims to prepare young people for new employment opportunities while contributing to Ghana’s green transition.
Dr Vanessa Phala-Mop, Country Director for the ILO in Ghana, said the project goes beyond hardware, combining modern solar PV training facilities with instructor development, curriculum support, practical exercises, and improved digital connectivity. She said about 100 electrical trainees will benefit from the facility within a year.
“The success of this facility should therefore not be measured simply by the quality of the equipment that we have employed and installed. It should be measured by the number of the young people who gain useful skills, who complete quality training, and move into employment, or create employment themselves and become entrepreneurs,” Dr Vanessa said. She also urged greater involvement of women in renewable energy and technical fields, stressing that the green transition must create opportunities for both men and women.
Saaka Adams, Acting Regional Director of the Ghana TVET Service and Principal of Wa Technical Institute, said the new centre addresses longstanding gaps in practical training for electrical and electronic students. Before, instructors had to rely on textbooks, marker boards, and outdated equipment to teach complex concepts that require hands-on demonstrations.
“Imagination alone cannot make a technician. At some point, hands must touch wires, and eyes must watch a system come alive,” Adams said. He described the centre as a major investment in learners’ futures. Instructors have undergone training to operate the equipment and transfer knowledge to students.
The institute plans to train roughly 100 electrical trainees within the year. Management committed to maintaining the equipment, securing accreditation for its solar PV programme, and building partnerships with renewable energy companies.
Adams appealed to the EU and ILO for support to extend solar power to the entire training building. Currently, solar power is installed in only one of eight classrooms. He also requested assistance to renovate the girls’ dormitory and add sanitation facilities for female students.
The commissioning ceremony included symbolic tree planting, reflecting the institute’s engagement with environmental sustainability and green practices in technical education.
The partners say the ultimate goal is to produce technicians capable of supporting renewable energy development, creating jobs, and aiding Ghana’s shift toward cleaner energy.
According to 3News.
