How is Ghana tuning itself into the Renewable Energy(RE) industry?
How do Ghanaians understand it? What is government doing about it? Individuals ... foreign investors, the Youth? A documentation of a young woman's passion to make Ghanaians more at home with Renewable Energy!
As part of ESF's communal RE initiatives, we have officially launched a Voluntary Programs Site, to serve as a source of information, a point of contact, as well as a means of applying to .... ESF's voluntary programme.
We are now in the middle of one wind energy project, and about to start a strategic partnership with a large, multinational RE business.
Our wind energy project is located in a a residential community in Dzorwulu, which, happily enough, is right in the path of one of Ghana's windbelts.
Basically, a kilowatt of wind energy will cost you about GH1800 or $1200. This is for the wind turbine, the back-up battery (to store power for when wind drops), the pole,cost of labour, transport .... EVERYTHING. A kilowatt of energy will power your television, radio, refridgerator, PCs, ironing, and ceiling fans (and a few petty gadgets) 24hours - 7 days. Meaning that you pay no electricity on these after your installation.
Pretty neat, don't you think?
And I usually advise that people start off on such small notes, cause then .. they get to appreciate and understand the technology, so by the time they want to upgrade, they'll be speaking the jargons themselves!
Our recent project is the Communal Facilities Initiative, to build certain infrastructure in carefully selected deprived communities (in both rural and urban Ghana) ... and these will be powered on Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs).
It is in these initiatives that all prospective volunteers will have the opportunity to make their own piece of history.
Find below, the links to this site. Enjoy, and do feedback!
And spread the word, wherever you can! So long as you live in Ghana, you can't escape the energy crisis.
It is in sharing our burdens, that we both walk straighter.
xoxo, Golda
P.S : Today, 25th December, I add this rejoinder : 1 kilowatt wind turbine can power anything(s) that consumes less than 1 kilowatt. This means it can power all the things mentioned, one or two at a time ... so long as they consume less than 1000 watts. This, I learnt recently, does not include ironing ...an iron consumes 1200 + watts (damn!).
So 17th October finally arrived, amidst serious countdowns, as much advertising as we could afford, distribution of fliers all over Accra, trips to Kumasi, etc to spread the word, hundreds of text messages, hundreds of calls, and a lot of work.
So not all our fair participants made it. Most of them cancelled at the last minute.
So Reggie came to the fair, with autographed copies of his new album “Reggiestration”. He came with Eddie Blay, Kwaku-T, D-Black, his wife, his son, and was expecting Abodam …. Asem as well, but he had a gig in Kumasi. He got in at 4.30 pm. Hoping for a good crowd to do his interactive programme with, backed by his entourage.
I will post the video recording and the photographs when they are paid for and delivered.
The Mail, Ghana News Agency, and Metro TV made it, and did some interviews and coverage. The Daily Graphic and Joy FM did not make it. Zenith marketer Abraham Yeboah came around to support us. It was just him. UBA had called to collaborate, and promised a representation there. I didn’t see them.
Of the huge number of calls, emails, and messages we had, pledging support to be there with us yesterday, we had a total of …………… 60 fair visitors.
Of this number, only Chris Adjei, Kwaku Osei Tutu and Araba Asare-Kumi. Gyasiwa Gyasi and Tweikuwa Stanhope-Essamuah. Pearl Antwi, and her sister, Belinda Antwi. Michael Kottoh, Hawa and Fali Amuzu, Clarence Parker-Allotey, Biantey Agah, Jack Delaney, Tobias, Andreas, Dr. Joseph Kwao, Musyani, Mercy’s auntie, cousin, and 2 friends were the direct friends who made it there. These people, out of the at least 300 direct friends who we had contacted, made it.
Akunu Dake, Tiger Okyne made their excuses before the event, and were very encouraging. Some did not acknowledge receipt of messages received, nor of the event.
EXPENDITURE (part):Lincoln Community School rent-GH 620 cedis (day)
Cost of organization of fair (final week)-GH 250 cedis (transport, communication, etc.)
Bouncy Castle and kid’s balloons-GH 155 cedis
PA system and DJ services-GH 400 cedis
Volunteer tags, t-shirts, welfare-GH 270 cedis
Tickets for fair, various events-GH 120 cedis
Media costs-GH 50 cedis
Food (estimate for 500 people)-GH 800 cedis
Canopies, Tables, Chairs, T&T-GH100 cedis
Miscellanous-GH 80 cedis
Photography & video coverage-GH 850 cedis
TOTAL-GH3695 cedis
This is just the accumulated cost for the fair itself in the last week of organization. If I start calculating from beginning of this campaign, I might get grey hairs, so I won’t go there.
I am grateful to Mercy Anane-Frempong
our faithful Volunteers (who made this thing theirs, and were on the phone calling people the whole day! You guys are my team from now forever!!! These people sent me consoling messages the whole night yesterday!)
Kwaku Osei Tutu and Araba Asare-Kumi (Osei was darn broke, but sent me GH 7.50 credit when I was at my lowest!!)
Chris Adjei
Gyasiwa Gyasi and Tweetie (who at 9 am came and stayed for hours, before going to a wedding in the afternoon)
my cousin Clarence Parker-Allotey (held my heart together for me)
Michael Kottoh
my sister, Gloria Aryitey
Biantey Agah (who went to Cape Coast and hurried back to Accra just to make it to the fair, then stayed late to help pack and send some of the team members home!)
They stayed the whole day, through the insults, angry participants demanding a refund, and battery of accusing glares that came our way till Reggie and his friends came.
Also:
Efuwa Quansah (UK)
Fred Anani-Frimpong (dotFAF) (UK)
Yram Foli (US)
Geraldine Shole Gerber (UK)
Priscilla Owusu-Ansah (Sweden)
Grace Apiagyei (UK)
MAXINE MOSLEY TOTOE (US)
These people called me from where they are, and kept up with ESF’s progress 100%!
I thank EVERYBODY outside the country who sent messages of encouragement one way or the other as well.
I thank Reggie, his team, and his wife – they have offered Gh 500 cedis to lessen my financial debt, and have promised to keep having my back through the years …. And insist on doing it again till it succeeds.
Reggie refused to charge anything for his support and involvement, right down to his transportation, pulling in his musician friends, etc! And has promised to do this free with us all through!!
I am grateful to you all, and I shall keep you abreast of how things go.
With the strong shoulders of Clarence Parker-Allotey, Michael Kottoh and Chris Adjei …. Who refuse to let me give up, I am progressing ahead with the Charity Ball this very Saturday.These guys have already started working on getting the necessary publicity and marketing up for Monday, to help me get my 200 charity ball participants.
Hope y'all are good. This week and half has been the Mother of crazies for me. Topsy-turvy, emotional, trying, fulfilling ... exhausting.
I went to Odumase-Krobo this Friday. Went to Cedi Beads ... y'all heard of him? Just Google him, and you'll land him in a nanosecond! like, really ... guy is so popular, and his family is legendary.
I went to ask him in board the Greenfoot Campaign ... not only does he do great beads, but he recycles glass ... intentionally uses un-needed glass bottles and such for his beads. It's a notion we will dearly enjoy partnering him in ... and also to work on getting more of his beads into daily use and fashionale accessories ... so it goes everywhere, faster. Recycle the glass, darn it! Keep the line moving ... yep, that's it! lol!!!!
We have another date with him next weekend. Can't wait to go ... cus this trip in particular, I did in a hurry, and I didn't really get to feel the entire experience well. This time around, I'm going prepared.
I took the pictures of him, and his bead-makers at work myself oooo! Not from internet, so copyright first, joh! lol.
And oh! What lushness! What fresh green-ness! What coolness! I am definitely going to move out of Accra when I can afford it! Beautiful and idyllic ... blow your mind, it does!!
So Cedi Beads will be repping at the Fair on the 17th October! Mark that down.
Now we are still in several talks with sooooo many companies, but if these ones, we have confirmed SUPPORT of varying forms and levels ... and with some, we have a working understanding. You are likely to see them or their reps on the field on the fair day as well (both officially, incognito, or just there to have fun!):
USAID CEDI BEADS NKYEA Twi Primer TEAM E + CO SOLAR LIGHT NET 2, CAMPUS FILE team TRASHY BAGS WELLNEZ CENTRE MIM & LEA CREATIVE WRITERS WITHOUT BORDERS ENCOL GH. Ltd WILKINS ENGINEERING ZENITH BANK ENERGY DESK reps
We are still in talks with interested groups, but we will only confirm them when they confirm. So watch out for the next blog update for these support and participatory groups!
We met with part of our volunteer group on Saturday (yesterday) as well. This was at Legon with the legon reps, and a few wonderful reps from Ashesi (although theirs will be held soon on their campus, they still came over!).
As you can see from the pictures, I went along with my son a.k.a Tasmanian Devil! He is never still, so all you see is the blur, yurp! What? How old is he? Will be 2 in December ... rather on the tall side, eh?! Boy can only babble baby talk, yet he is already up in there!
Mercy is the one at the far left in the group picture ... she's a trim 5 ' 1 feet. I am at the far right in the group picture with the blur of a son ... i'm a round 5 ' 6 feet. We are like: Santa and one of his elves!
We had a wonderful hour and half chat with them, wherein we spoke about ESF, why ... like food and drink, energy was also important, and had to be diversified and made efficient for the future, why the power lay in their hands to take up this opportunity. We spoke about what responsibilities they would be given on the day, we emphasized the need for a learning and fun-loving spirit for this event, and the measures we had in place to take care of them throughout their voluntary assignments.
Most of them were very happy to have gotten frequent emails from us, before the meeting. They shared a wish to spend their vacations attached to our outfit ... especially in terms of training, travelling, assignments,jobs, etc.
They wanted to know how we started, our founding members, and our long-term dreams for the outfit.
At the end of it all, we also asked them why, deep down, they offered to volunteer.
Astoundingly, most of them responded that the energy situation was a disturbing aspect for them as well, and they agreed with the point we made about the rural areas being paradise ... BUT FOR LACK of electricity, hence their wish to also join a pioneering movement such as ESF. They also stated that they were taking the opportunity to upgrade their CVs, as well as build up on a marketable and career-enhanced future.
We ended it up with a group picture, distribution of directions to Lincoln C. School, as well as a reminder of a final volunteer meeting before the D-Day.
After this came a fast flow of discussions, meetings, and deliberations with our media supporters and publicity aides. Then, of course, a meeting between myself and Mercy.
We have one last set of ads to place on paper and radio-TV, andafter that, we raise our faces to Mawu, the Most High God. Money issues be tight, mehn! REAL tight! But we believe it will be well.
I have left out so many petty details, cus my heart is full to bursting with them, and I know not which to talk about, but when we meet, I shall spill all to you! ;-0
Before I go, though, share this good news with us:
WE have gotten our first CONSULTATION! And we have already started working on it. It is so perfectly in line with our objectives ... nothing could be more perfect. When the revenue pulls through, hola! to our raise funds for rural-renewable energy-grid campaign! We just got hold of the Energy Bill draft from government as well. Probably should update you on that soon as I can. Hmmmmmmm!
2 other jobs also popped up just 2 days ago as well, and we hope to put pen to paper on these as well!
So share the good news. Tell people ESF is still growing ... we value our standards, and we keep them!
Share our countdown with us on FACEBOOK (we have a Greenfoot Campaign funpage, specially for the Fair and the Charity Ball, then an ESF fan page ... join us on there if you can. 70 members and counting so far!!)
Buy a Charity ball ticket! Or a Reggie Rockstone and Friends "Take the Mic" ticket. Buy for you and a friend. A partner. Family. Share this with us!!! More updates of support groups for fair next update!
People. We have seen the future ... and it belongs to us.
