In collaboration with the Human Resources (HR) Department and System Operations Department, GRIDConsult has put together a two-week training programme on Fundamental Training for Operators, for staff from CENPOWER Company Limited. To ensure the smooth running of the grid, Operators are required to undergo the Operators’ Course, to facilitate seamless communication between Grid Participants and the System Control Centre (SCC).

Welcoming participants to the training programme, Mr. Benjamin Owusu Offei Awuku, a Principal Electrical Engineer with GRIDConsult introduced the five trainees to the HR Training Team after which Mr. Frank Akekyi, Manager, Performance, Learning, and Organisational Development, outlined their role in the training programme.

During his presentation, Ing. Frank Otchere, Director, System Operations expounded on the importance of the session, emphasising the fact that it is in conformity with the Grid Code. He further encouraged the trainees to take advantage of the training to grasp all that they need to, as this would improve their operations as participants in the power system.

To assess the impact of the training, the HR Training team facilitated a pre and post-knowledge tests on the training course. At the end of the training, the post-knowledge test score indicated that the trainees benefited immensely from the training programme. Some of the topics treated were; Attributes of an Operator; Operational Safety; Communication for Operating Personnel; The Concept and Philosophy of Nomenclature; Effective Logging; Standard Protection Code; Ghana Electricity Grid Code; and Wholesale Electricity Market.

During his closing remarks on behalf of the Chief Executive (CE), Ing. Mark Baah, Director, Corporate Strategy, and the Advisor to the CE on the Implementation of the Ghana Wholesale Electricity Market (GWEM), congratulated the participants on the successful completion of the programme. He urged them to remember that CENPOWER values the role they play as Operators, which is the reason why they were enrolled in the training. He also encouraged them to regularly revise whatever they had learnt during the training, and engage in programmes that offer continuous professional development, as this would enable them to be abreast with industry best practices. “As you go back to work, much will be expected from you”, Ing. Baah advised the participants. “People will be watching you to ascertain if you would practice what you have learnt here. Thus, continue to work hard and put your hand on the wheel”, he added. Further, he urged them to value the relationships formed in GRIDCo and keep networking.

On behalf of the trainees, Mr. Thomas Ankomah Agyapong, the Class Representative, expressed the trainees’ appreciation to the course facilitators. “We really enjoyed the practical sessions. We hope to put into practice all that we have picked from this training programme,” he said.

The partakers were awarded certificates participation.

The course instructors were, Ing. Joshua Dankwa, Assistant Chief Technician, System Control Centre, and Ing. Frederick Obeng-Yobo, Senior Electrical Engineer, Safety Management Unit.

Grid Consult was operationalised in 2018 as a Consultancy and Advisory Unit to secure additional revenue for GRIDCo, using existing GRIDCo resources and staff through the provision of services to firms and utilities in Ghana and the West African sub-region, as these firms seek to expand and address national challenges towards an integrated regional power system through the WAPP protocol.

The Section is currently in the Corporate Strategy Department.