The African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth), has installed a 30-kilowatt ultra-modern solar system at the School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD) of the Kwame University of Science and Technology, (KNUST).

The project is part of AFREhealth’s commitment to addressing climate change and supporting the university’s energy requirement.

The project was implemented by the Starsight Energy Ghana Limited, a company that addresses comprehensive solar solutions to reduce energy cost.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice Chancellor, KNUST expressed gratitude to the organisation and said green energy sources are the way forward.

“Being the leading Science and technology University in this country when it comes to quality education, we cannot let SDG7 which stipulates affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy be lost on us. The renewable, green and clear energy is the way to go.

“This is what the collaboration and partnership is all about, mutual benefit. We believe that this will go a long way to improve what we do.  When there is no power, we become very handicapped and we thank God that this has happened today. Appreciation is always application; we appreciate you all."

AFREhealth is a pan-African organisation dedicated to the advancement of health professions education, research and service delivery by influencing a new inter-professional standard that will result in sustainable and continuous quality improvement for the African population.

The organisation serves as a platform for knowledge generation, sharing and learning through Technical Working Groups (communities of practice), Webinars and Annual Symposiums.

Mrs. Georgina Yeboah, Executive Director of AFREhealth disclosed that the project was undertaken in response to the frequent disruptions caused by the power outages at the SMD which houses the AFREhealth Secretariat.

“We host a lot of virtual activities and then when there is a power outage, you can imagine the frustration, so we discussed with the University and we talked about alternatives but we finally settled on solar energy.”

“Now when there is power cut, we have light all over and students will not have to pause with studies as well” she said.

The $58, 690.00 project was funded by the National Institutes of Health, Forgarty International Centre, USA.