Energy Personalities Outreach Programme: ‘Aburi Girls’ tasked to take responsibility for their lives

Chief Executive of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Ing. Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, and the Executive Partner of Arthur Energy Advisors, Ing. Harriette Amissah-Arthur, the reigning Energy Personalities of the Year (Male and Female) at the 2022 Ghana Energy Awards (GEA) have engaged students of the Aburi Senior High School for the 2023 Energy Personalities Outreach Programme.

Organized by the Energy Media Group (EMG), the Outreach was held under the theme: “Impacting the Next Generation Leaders Today.” It is a platform for the apex winners of the Awards to interact with students of second-cycle institutions in the energy sector and its prospects, as well as to help the youth to cultivate habits and develop attitudes requisite for a successful future.

The 2023 Energy Personalities Outreach Programme (EPOP) took place at the school’s premises in Aburi in the Eastern Region and involved over 900 students of the school. The energy sector giants urged the students to own and take responsibility for their lives, and be intentional about their actions and choices.

They also tasked the students to use their time judiciously and effectively utilize all resources at their disposal to achieve their set targets.

Arthur Energy Advisors’ Executive Partner, Ing. Amissah-Arthur, the Energy Personality of the Year for 2022, advised the students to own their lives, manage their resources and relationships well, and define their idea of success.

Commitment, consistency, sustaining positive actions through the efficient and effective use of time, and developing individual capacities, according to her, will lead them to excel.

She subsequently called for more such programmes to extend the reach of youth engagements in the country, which will further spread and increase the impact of national empowerment efforts.

VRA’s Chief Executive, Ing. Antwi-Darkwa, who is a three-time winner of the Apex Award, encouraged the students to be ambitious and set goals for themselves, and to not be afraid to fail, but rather persevere with all humility to achieve what they set out to do while keeping God at the fore of their lives.

Speaking to the media, he underscored the need to bridge the existing gap in female participation, especially in the energy sector. He said such avenues, such as the Energy Personalities Outreach Programme, create the needed platform to awaken their consciousness of their unique capabilities for the sector and stimulate an interest to aspire to its prospects.

Chief Executive Officer of the EMG, Ing. Henry Teinor, in a welcome address, noted that the Outreach programme “is designed to contribute to Ghana’s STEM education efforts, using the approach of mentorship to motivate the youth into developing interests and actively participating in the country’s energy sector.

The programme included a Character Development Session, and an Interactive Session, led by Lawyer Kwame Jantuah, Chairman of the GEA Awards Panel, where the students were allowed to ask questions.

This Outreach Programme is the fifth in the series and is an initiative of the Ghana Energy Awards. In previous years, EPOP has featured various schools including the Achimota School, West Africa Senior School, Nungua Senior High School, and the St. Mary’s Senior School in Accra.