Sixteen electrical technicians are attending a five-day training workshop on electrical installations and maintenance in Tamale to equip them to work on state-of-the-art electrical systems.
The workshop was collaboration between Global Sustainable Energy Solutions-Ghana (GSES-G) and NewEnergy, a non-governmental organisation in the energy sector; environment and sustainable livelihoods.
Deng Solar Training Centre (DSTC) sponsored the workshop for the participants, who were drawn from the Northern, Upper East and Brong-Ahafo Regions.
Mr Samuel Adu-Asare, Manager of GSES-G, said DSTC was established in 2005 with technical collaboration from Global Sustainable Energy Solutions of Australia and the Agriculture and Mechanical Engineering Departments of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
He said DSTC had over the years, provided training in solar installations and maintenance, design and installations of solar water pumps throughout the country.
He said because of the springing up of businesses and the boom in the construction industry in the North, the Centre had decided to bring the training programme to the doorstep of the community for more people to benefit.
Mr Thomas Sayibu Imoro, Programme Manager of NewEnergy, said over the last 10 years, his NGO had among other things, been involved in the promotion of the efficient use of energy; safe use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG); wood stoves and the conversion from the use of fuel wood to LPG in large institutions such as schools and hospitals.
He said NewEnergy had assisted over 100 communities to get mechanized water supply while it had also provided about 3,000 household latrines in the Northern Region.
The NGO, he said, had assisted in piloting some energy efficient programmes in the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
"We (NewEnergy) are concerned about the development of a socio-economic environment that would enable the people to live in dignity", Mr. Imoro said.