GRIDCo has begun a company-wide engagement to deepen Staff’s understanding of the Ghana’s Wholesale Electricity Market (GWEM), a major step in Ghana’s ongoing electricity sector reforms. The sensitisation exercise, being led by the Market Operations Section of the System Operations Department, started with the Leadership of the Staff Groups, and will continue across all Departments and Operational Areas of the Company.
The sessions are designed to familiarise Staff with how the wholesale electricity market framework will operate and the critical role GRIDCo will play as the Market Operator.
Leading the engagement is Ing. Linda Baah, Manager for Market Operations, who, together with her team, is guiding participants through the GWEM Design, the approved Rules, objectives and operational principles of the Market.
GWEM represents a shift towards a more organised and competitive electricity trading environment in Ghana. At its core, the Market provides a transparent platform through which electricity can be bought and sold between Market Participants; Wholesale Suppliers (Generation Companies); and Load Serving Entities (Bulk Consumers or Distribution Utilities). The framework is expected to promote fairness in electricity trading, encourage private sector participation, and support long-term sustainability within the Power Sector.
During the engagement, staff were taken through the broader vision behind the Market. GWEM is expected to strengthen transparency and accountability in electricity transactions, improve efficiency in power dispatch, and ultimately contribute to more predictable pricing and improved reliability of supply. By introducing structured trading arrangements and clear operational rules, the Market aims to create the right environment for investment and innovation within Ghana’s Energy Sector.
As the operator of the National Interconnected Transmission System (NITS), GRIDCo will play a central role in administering the Market, and will oversee among others, the certification of Market participants, monitor compliance with Market rules, manage system operations and dispatch, and coordinate settlement and billing among participants. GRIDCo will also support dispute resolution processes to ensure the integrity and smooth functioning of the market.
The session also highlighted the rules-based nature of the market structure. Under the GWEM framework, electricity trading will occur across several Market layers, including the Day-Ahead Market, where participants submit schedules for electricity delivery in advance, and the Real-Time Market, which manages adjustments needed to maintain system balance as conditions change. Additional mechanisms, such as ancillary services and capacity arrangements, will ensure that adequate reserves are available to support system stability. Market prices will be determined through competitive market-clearing processes, reinforcing transparency and efficiency.
For GRIDCo staff, the engagement goes beyond technical awareness. It is also about appreciating the broader transformation taking place in Ghana’s Power Sector and understanding the responsibilities that come with operating a modern electricity market. The session emphasised the importance of adherence to the GWEM rules, active participation by Market stakeholders and the need for strong institutional coordination to ensure the system functions effectively.
Ing. Linda Baah noted that, “Building internal understanding is an important step as the country prepares to operationalise the Market. Ensuring that staff across the organisation appreciate both the operational and strategic implications of GWEM will strengthen GRIDCo’s readiness to fulfil its mandate as Market Operator.”
The sensitisation programme will continue in the coming weeks as the Market Operations team engages staff across the Departments and Operational Areas. Through these engagements, GRIDCo is reinforcing its commitment to supporting a transparent, competitive and efficient electricity market, which will ultimately strengthen Ghana’s power sector and help secure the nation’s energy future.
In closing, the Chairmen of the Staff Groups, Ing. Wisdom Adenyo and Mr. Samuel Adjartey, pledged their full support for the initiative and expressed their readiness to serve as ambassadors in sharing information on GWEM with staff across the Company. They noted that, as representatives of the workforce, the welfare and job security of staff remain priority, adding that the Senior Staff Association and the Union are keen on understanding how such sector reforms will ultimately benefit employees.
A representative of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) got the opportunity to encourage staff to lend their support to the initiative. He emphasised that the success of the GWEM project will largely depend on collective commitment, noting that, when all stakeholders play their respective roles efficiently, the initiative will deliver the intended benefits for the power sector and the country at large.
