President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appointed engineer Samuel Boakye-Appiah as new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Ing. Boakye-Appiah will act as caretaker CEO until a substantive person is approved.
“As a caretaker CEO, you will not take decisions that have policy implications until a substantive governing board is in place,” a letter written to the appointee by Minister of Energy Boakye Agyarko said.
“You may refer such policy related decisions to the Ministry for prior approval,” the letter sighted by 3news.com further said.
Ing. Boakye-Appiah takes over from Robert Dwamena, who was the Managing Director of the Company.
Until his appointment, Ing. Boakye-Appiah was the Director of Network Projects at ECG.
Ing. Boakye-Appiah joined the Electricity Company of Ghana, (ECG) on 4th January, 1990. He had earlier served as a National Service Person at VRA for two (2) years and later worked as an Assistant Electrical Engineer and Electrical Engineer at Bonsa Tyre Company Limited (1987-1988) and Afridec Limited (1988-1989).
At ECG, he has worked in the Engineering, Network Projects, Materials and Transport Directorates and the Office of the Managing Director in his over 25 years’ work experience. Samuel served in the Engineering Directorate and was attached to the Fifth Power Project (Power Five) from 1990 –1994. He was later transferred to the Materials and Transport Directorate in 1995 where he served in various capacities as Purchasing Manager, Stock Control Manager and Ag Materials Manager until 2001. He moved back to the Engineering Directorate as Manager, Construction and was promoted to the grade of General Manager/ Urban Projects, on 1st December, 2003. In 2009, he was transferred to the office of the Managing Director in charge of Special Duties. During this period, he served as a member of ECG’s team for negotiating Power Purchase Agreements with Independent Power Producers and Electricity Tariffs with the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) and executed various assignments across different functional areas of ECG on behalf of the Managing Director.
On 12th March, 2012, he was appointed the Director, Network Projects with the responsibility to ensure smooth and effective implementation of major electrical infrastructure projects in ECG operational area involving network improvements, upgrades, expansion, rehabilitation, automation and rural electrification projects funded by Government of Ghana, Bilateral/Multilateral Funding Agencies, West African Power Pool (WAPP) and Road Agencies.
He has a rich background and experience in Electrical Network Design and Construction, Maintenance, Materials Management, Electric Utility Management, Goods, Works and Services Procurement and Project Management. Ing. Boakye-Appiah has participated in many training programmes both at home and abroad including Electricity Distribution Management Programme in Sweden and Executive Management Training Programme by Electricity Supply Board of Ireland.
He has made numerous contributions to ECG and Ghana. His contributions include:
* As Electrical Engineer attached to Fifth Power Project, he used desktop design and interactive site construction techniques to electrify Nima/Maamobi areas which are predominantly urban physically challenged settlements. This approach enabled the project team to overcome challenges posed by similar settlements at Ashaiman, Kwesimintin and Aboabo in Kumasi.
* He led a team of engineers to install the first Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) facilities at the primary and secondary levels for Accra, Kasoa, and Bogoso and Kumasi. This facility proved to be an effective load management tool for ECG’s network operations.
* As Head of Projects (2003-2009), he successfully managed various Sub Transmission, Distribution and Network Automation Projects funded by Multilateral/Bilateral funding agencies involving network upgrades, re-enforcement and expansion to remove bottlenecks such as overloads, technical losses, provide redundancy and meet new demand in ECG operational areas.
* As Chairman of Steering Committees for the ongoing Strategic Business Unit (SBU) Piot Project in Ashanti and the MCC funded Compact II Programme, provided effective leadership to ensure the success of these projects.
As a member of the ECG management team (2012-date) in charge of Network Projects;
* Provided leadership, guidance and direction to ensure smooth and effective implementation of major electricity infrastructure projects funded by ECG, Bilateral/Multilateral Donors and the Ministry of Power’s Rural Electrification Project.
* Re-engineered the business processes for capturing, mapping and setting-up potential customers in Self Help Electrification Projects (SHEP) to eliminate periodic backlog of unbilled customers after completion of projects.
* Established the Project Manager’s Forum to train and develop project managers in other departments in ECG to entrench best project management practices throughout ECG.
He has also served in the following capacities:-
– Member, National Technical Committee which prepared National Standards for manufacture of Wood Poles, Wooden Crossarms, and Stay Wood Blocks
– Project Manager – Review and improvement of Materials management system in E. C.G.
Born on 27th December, 1957, Ing. Boakye-Appiah had his basic education at V. R.A Experimental School, Akosombo and his secondary education at Koforidua Seccondary Technical School (G.C.E “O” Level) 1972-77 and Bishop Herman College, Kpandu (G.C.E “A” Level) 1977-79. He holds a BSc. Electrical/Electronic Engineering from KNUST-Kumasi 1984, and an EMBA awarded by Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Accra in 2010. He is a Certified Project Management Professional (P.M.P) as well as a member of the Project Management Institute. (PMI). He is a Fellow of the Ghana Institution of Engineers (F.GH.I.E). He is a Christian and married with four children.
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