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Prof Acakpovi, aspiring Evangelist leading ATU’s transformation drive
Since his appointment as Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Accra Technical University (ATU) in July 2023, Engr. Prof Amevi Acakpovi has set out on a transformative agenda geared at making the institution one of the best on the continent and the world.
His vision was to consolidate ATU’s position as the premier technical university in Ghana and brand it as the topmost technical university in Africa.
To achieve that, he has initiated processes to support human capacity development, seeking grants to re-tool laboratories, workshops and the library.
He is also working towards the establishment of a vibrant and dynamic graduate school at ATU.
Backed by a strong international network, his ambition is to promote national and international partnerships for increased visibility and promote stronger collaborations between the university and its key stakeholders.
Also with his Information Communication and Technology (ICT) background, Prof Acakpovi has shown keen interest in building a strong educational resilience in ATU by integrating sustainable virtual learning modules, with his research aspirations focused on making the university a technology hub; using applied research of all kinds and solving societal problems.
Engr. Prof Amevi Acakpovi is a Ghanaian citizen, a Professor in Electrical and Energy Systems Engineering. He is a Fellow Professional Engineer from the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Ghana and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer and Electrical Engineering from the Lokossa Institute of Technology (Republic of Benin) in 2006, a Masters’ Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Abomey-Calavi University (Republic of Benin) in 2009 and a PhD in Energy Systems Engineering from a joint collaboration between Accra Institute of Technology and the Open University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2017.
Additionally, Prof Acakpovi holds a Certificate in Doctoral Supervision at African Universities from the Stellenbosch University in South Africa in 2019 and a Postgraduate Certificate in International Higher Education with Distinction from the Coventry University, UK in 2018.
Prof Amevi Acakpovi has served in many prominent positions in ATU including, Head of Electrical/ Electronics Engineering Department (2012- 2018), Dean of the Faculty of Engineering (2018-2020) and the Pro Vice-Chancellor from 2020 till date.
Originally from the field of Electrical, Electronic and Energy Systems Engineering, Prof Acakpovi’s areas of research include Hybrid Energy Systems, Mini and Microgrid Optimization, Smart Grid Modelling and Optimization, Solar and Wind Energy Modelling and Optimization, Artificial Intelligence in Energy Systems and Recommender Systems.
He is the author of more than 120 publications in International Journals including IEEE conferences, and transactions as well as other SCI-Indexed and EIIndexed journals.
He has experience in teaching and learning at the Graduate and undergraduate levels. He has taught extensively Masters’ level courses and supervised more than 50 MSc. thesis, and five PhD thesis from various recognized Universities.
He has consistently acted as an external PhD thesis reviewer/ assessor in his field of studies at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, the KNUST, UENR in Ghana, and the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin.
He was recently honoured as an international tutor for the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST) owing to his remarkable contributions in cosupervising PhD students and leading them to publications in top journals.
Prof Acakpovi was a recipient of many awards and laurels including the award of Excellence in Research and Development Leadership by the Solar quarter Grandmaster Award in February 2023; the award of the Decade Researcher at the Applied Research Conference in Africa (ARCA) in August 2021 and the Stairs’ Award of Distinguished Professor in Electrical Engineering, at Pune, India in December 2021.
He received in 2018, the Best Paper Award at the 7th IEEE International Conference on Adaptive Science and Technology and subsequently the Best Track Paper Award in project management at the IEOM conference in South Africa in 2018. He has won many grants in his areas of study.
He successfully led a team to establish the ATU’s Sustainable Energy Service Centre with a grant by MIDA under the auspices of the Energy Commission.
The Centre is currently running and offering Energy Audit and Energy Performance Certification courses; He has also won twice the Ghana Skill Development Fund grant, thrice the Carnegie African Diasporan Fellowship Programmes to mention but a few.
Prof Acakpovi has a vast international exposure through his attendances of multiple conferences in countries including Germany, France, USA, China, Russia and Egypt.
Prof Acakpovi is a Christian and happily married with five children. He is a God-fearing person and an aspiring Evangelist
By Michael D. Abayateye
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
