The Volta River Authority (VRA) Academy has signed the Africa Network of Centres of Excellency in Electricity (ANCEE) accession agreement with the Association of Power Utilities of Africa (APUA) to become part of the elite corporate training institutions in Africa
With the signing of the agreement, the academy has become the 8th centre of excellence under ANCEE in Africa.
ANCEE is an initiative of the APUA that focuses on providing quality learning and development for power utilities in Africa.
In a speech read on his behalf at the signing ceremony in Accra on Monday, the Minister of Energy, Peter Amewu, said the accession was a huge responsibility given to the academy, and it was necessary for them to “justify their inclusion among the seven other centres of excellence in Africa”.
He said there was the need to continue to improve on their competency-based training products and services, because that was the only way to remain relevant and become a centre of choice.
Mr Amewu said it was expected that all regional institutions that had helped the academy to attain its new level would continue to lend their support, particularly in the provision of tools and equipment for innovative skills training to meet the demands of their clients.
The Energy Minister said government would continue to play its legitimate role of ensuring that the power sector was stable, robust and self-sufficient enough to continue to play a leading role within the power markets of West Africa.
The Director General of APUA, Abel Didier Tella, said the academy’s accession agreement with APUA was the culmination of a long process which started in 2012.
He said the academy was among the first training centres that were assessed during APUA’s first study of defining and sizing the ANCEE network in 2012, adding that “I am sure that VRA Academy is being admitted to add its unique stone to the ongoing construction of a solid and sustainable continental human capacity building tool of the power sector.”
The Chief Executive of VRA, Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa said the execution of the accession agreement was a significant step towards the promotion of regional cooperation and integration.
He said the designation of the academy as a centre of excellence was an opportunity to offer its operational experience to others in the industry and improve the level of operational excellence on the continent.
BY JEMIMA ESINAM KUATSINU
