Dr Francis Boateng Agyenim, leading solar energy, research conversation in Ghana

Dr Francis Boateng Agyenim

 DR Francis Boateng Agyenim, Di­rector of the Council for Scientif­ic and Industrial Research-Insti­tute of Industrial Research (CSIR-IIR), has over the past years led the ad­vocacy for the utilisation of research and solar energy to transform Ghana’s economy.

Responsible for the day-to-day administration of Ghana’s foremost industrial research and development institute whose mandate is to drive national development and global competiveness in industry through sci­entific and technological research, Dr Agyenim has led several conversations and supported innovations aimed at making Ghana a research hub in Africa and the world at large.

He is also vocal on solar energy, believing it represents Ghana’s future and Ghanaian industries, and the gov­ernment must take advantage of same to foster growth.

Born in Asikasu, a village seven miles away from Dormaa Ahenkro in the Bono Region, young Agyenim started his basic school at Asikasu No.1 where he combined education with farming in order to make ends meet.

Steadily, Agyenim gained his Middle School Living Certificate in 1984 at age of 15 before joining the Dormaa Senior High School from 1984-1989 for his O-level certificate.

He then moved to Osei Kyerekwie Senior High School (OKESS) in Kumasi (1989-1991) and later to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in 1998 where he studied Metallurgical Engineering to begin his research journey.

Before completing university, Dr Agyenim secured a job at AshantiGold before moving to Sankofa Gold in Prestea for two years. He travelled to Germany to do his Masters in Energy Conversion and Management in 2000 where he also secured a job in the solar industry for a year to launch his interest in solar energy.

He later moved to the UK where he worked and had a PhD in Solar Energy Engineering. Dr Agyenim also taught in three other universities in the UK-Car­diff, Ulster and Nottingham Universi­ties.

Dr Agyenim moved back to Ghana in 2012 to head the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC) in 2012 as the Dean of Graduate School for four years.

While at GTUC, Dr Agyenim created a system of dual accreditation where Coventry University and other univer­sities were partnering GTUC to teach foreign programmes in Ghana with students issued dual certificates. His key responsibilities included teaching and conducting cutting-edge research in renewable energy systems and sus­tainable energy technologies as well as some administrative functions as Course Director.

He also worked as Lead Consultant in several research and development projects and moved to CSIR-IIR in Oc­tober 2016 as Director till date.

Dr Agyenim has consulted for several organisations on sustainable energy related projects and supervised instal­lation of several solar PV systems in Ghana and Germany. He has over the last five years led the training of 2,900 professional electrical engineers/elec­tricians on how to install and maintain solar systems.

He currently serves on several University and Management Boards including University for Development Studies (UDS) Council, Ghana Nuts Management Board, National Biosafety Authority Management Board, Nursing and Midwifery Council Management Board and CSIR Boards.

Dr Agyenim has developed and implemented several innovations, including the Zero Waste Disposal concept (ZeWaD), the CSIR Industrial Innovation Hub (i2-Hub) and novel solar powered absorption cooling sys­tem. He has to his credit several peer reviewed articles in the subject area of renewable and alternative energies, including guidelines document for the integration of solar powered absorp­tion cooling systems into buildings and integrated wastewater and faecal sludge management for Ghana.

“Solar is the future and Ghanaians must begin to invest in solar. Interest­ingly, the solar availability in Ghana cannot be compared to countries where solar is popular like Germany,” he stated.

Thankfully, he said, with the sup­port of Ghana Skills Development Fund, since 2015, nearly 3,000 certi­fied electricians are currently dotted across the country, equipped to install solar professionally as the challenge had always been with the technicali­ties involved in the installation.

“The quality of panels have im­proved and could last for over 20 years as compared to the past. Solar at the moment is very robust and indigenous Ghanaian companies must take advantage as done by their foreign counterparts. Currently at the commercial scale, one can break even in five years,” he stressed.

“If the government can dedicate funds into putting solar on all public buildings, in the country to store pow­er, it make the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) profitable. ECG should also begin to buy roofs of companies to store solar and sell it back to them. An average company owner is only interested in seeing their electricity reduced,” he suggested.

With his core mandate at the CSIR-IIR, they conduct research and de­velop products materials and manu­facturing, engineering designing and prototyping, calibration and testing, sanitation and environmental man­agement and emerging engineering technology using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop products as well as melt metals and building of all parts of machines, among others.

“The difficulty is that the govern­ment has not invested into research and for Ghana to benefit from re­search immensely, there is the need to define an annual area of research and allow organisations to compete and solve societal problems,” he advocat­ed.

That notwithstanding, he led the CSIR-IIR to chalk successes in the areas of Agriculture as their research improved yields of maize, rice, beans and yam in Ghana.

“It is important to find businesses to pick up CSIR-IIR outputs and form partnerships to manufacture the products. I am very keen on how we advance market-ready products sitting on the shelves into business to benefit society,” he mentioned.

He also works as the Chairperson of the National Innovation Challenge and believes that Ghana must be inten­tional about its development with re­search and academia, government and business working together to develop the country.

Following his outstanding works, the CSIR-IIR has won several awards including the Ghana Energy Awards for Energy Organisation of the Year-Public and Novel Deployment of Renewable Energy Technology Award in 2018 and 2022 respectively.

Dr Agyenim is married and blessed with five daughters, and loves farming on weekends.

 By Michael D. Abayateye