Accra: Mr Seth A. Mahu, the Director of Renewable Energy and Green Transition at the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, has called upon researchers and students across Africa to innovate and contribute towards achieving universal energy access on the continent. He emphasized the importance of advancing mini-grid electrification to address the challenges associated with extending traditional grid systems, urging researchers to focus their efforts on this crucial sector.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr Mahu made these remarks during the closing session of the two-week workshop on the 'Sustainable Energy Education Developing Exchange Between Continents (SEEDexchange) Project. This initiative is a tri-continental partnership designed to enhance renewable energy education and research. Funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the SEEDexchange project aims to share country-specific knowledge to improve renewable energy deployment, especially in rural areas.
The project centers around three main areas: sharing a module pool with remote laboratories accessible to students across partner universities, establishing a living lab in Antioquia, Colombia, to investigate the socio-economic aspects of rural renewable energy applications, and facilitating both virtual and face-to-face exchanges for students, lecturers, and researchers.
The workshop, held from September 8 to September 21 at the Regional Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (RCEES) Auditorium at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, gathered experts from Ghana, the University of Oldenburg in Germany, the University of Antioquia in Colombia, the Change World NGO, and DAAD alumni from Africa and beyond. Mr Mahu praised the SEEDexchange project community for their efforts and encouraged them to make significant contributions towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on energy, which aims for affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030.
Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), highlighted that the workshop aligned with the university's core mission of promoting research and innovation in energy and natural resources. He stated that the SEEDexchange project enhances UENR's global visibility, builds capacity among staff and students, and strengthens international collaborations. Professor Asare-Bediako also commended DAAD for its financial support and mentioned the establishment of UENR's Centre for Research Grants and Innovation as a means to expand partnerships and secure grants.
Miss Lena Leumer, the DAAD Regional Office Director, applauded UENR for its growing reputation in renewable energy research and education. She noted that DAAD supports higher education through scholarships and institutional partnerships and stressed that renewable energy is a priority for both Germany and Ghana.
Dr Benjamin Batinge, a Research Fellow at UENR's RCEES, explained that the SEED Project provides postgraduate students with practical, cross-country training in sustainable energy. Activities include international mobility exchanges, weekly online sessions, and a flagship hackathon where students collaborate to develop solutions for real-world energy challenges. Current research under the project explores innovations such as agro voltaic systems, which integrate energy production with agriculture by growing crops under solar panels.
The workshop also featured a DAAD Alumni Seminar on Open Energy Modelling, training participants in using PyPSA (Python for Power System Analysis), an open-source tool for simulating and optimizing energy systems. This training aims to build the capacity of African and Latin American researchers to support evidence-based energy planning.
