As students from across the Volta Region gathered at OLA Senior High School to showcase their creativity at the 2025 Renewable Energy Challenge, the Energy Commission unveiled a bold strategy to take youth innovation beyond the classroom.

The Deputy Director of Renewable Energy Regulation at the Energy Commission, Frederick Appiah, revealed that the Commission is now focusing on turning student projects into commercially viable solutions.

“This is the sixth edition of the Senior High School Renewable Energy Challenge, and we are shifting our approach. Previously, our attention was mainly on the overall national winner.

"But now, we’re supporting the top six national finalists and even looking to scale down support to promising zonal and regional-level projects,” he stated.

This year’s theme focuses on renewable energy solutions to address health challenges. Mr. Appiah described the day’s presentations as “impressive, purposeful, and potentially transformative.”

To help bring these innovations to the market, the Energy Commission has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

CSIR will assist in refining the technical viability of projects and facilitate their development into commercial ventures, with full ownership retained by the students and their schools.

“We’re creating a platform that connects academia to industry. Many great ideas don’t make it to the national level, but they deserve a chance. We’re linking them with research institutions and private industry to ensure their ideas can be commercialized and scaled,” Mr. Appiah emphasized.

He added that collaborations with partners such as Blight Ideas are opening more doors for industry engagement, reinforcing the Energy Commission’s mission to not only promote renewable energy awareness but to unlock Ghana’s innovation potential through its youth.