Government urged to create environment to grow indigenous engineering firms

Mr Ebenezer McHammah, the Chief Executive Officer of McHammah Engineering Company Limited, has said government should create the enabling environment for indigenous engineering firms to grow.

He said engineers and technologists were capable of transforming the economy, hence, the need for government to support the Ghanaian ingenuity.

Mr McHammah said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during a tour of a locally manufactured power generator in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital.

He said the Government’s active engagement with indigenous engineering firms would not only promote inventions that suited the environment but also help build a workforce to address national challenges.

The equipment, manufactured by two brothers; Kwasi Ansah and Kojo Ansah, uses fermented cassava with soil and other materials to produce electricity, which enables people to charge their phones, and power radio sets and other electronic gadgets such as fans, bulbs/lamps.

Mr McHammah, who was leading a team of engineers on the tour, noted that the Company’s mandate was to nurture young engineers to grow and provide technical and financial support to enhance inventions. He said the two brothers, who invented the 11-12 volts’ mini generator, had now produced a six-kilovolt-amperes (kVA) Direct Circuit (DC) generator and would soon name it ‘Adinkra Power Cell’.

He said the 6kVA generator was made from some metal components.

"We are trying to scale it up, and now we have been able to develop it and all the necessary calculations have been made, so we can go into megawatts”.

Mr McHammah said the newly produced generator was unique in its use of fermented cassava with soil and other materials to produce electricity, which could power a four-bedroom apartment.

He said it could last for two years before servicing, adding that that would help in national grid electrification. He, therefore, called on government to partner in scaling up the innovation. “The employment aspect is also numerous, we can employ engineers, farmers and electricians; there are lots of jobs; as we can produce more generators for export and also for local use,” Mr Mchammah said.

Mr Kojo Ansah, on his part, said the practice began since their childhood, and though he and his brother had lots of inventions, their level of progress was hindered by the lack of support.

He said after their Basic Education Certificate Examination, they could not further their education due to financial constraints and came up with the initiative in 2018, in response to Ghana’s need for alternative source of energy.

Mr Ansah, who expressed gratitude to McHammah Engineering for its support, noted that their invention would help in the rural electrification project.

He said they lived in one such community and, therefore, recognised the importance of electricity in boosting economic activities.