The University of Energy and Natural Resources has launched the Ghana Battery Network and urged the country to shift from importing battery technologies toward local value addition, research, skills development and manufacturing.
The network, known as GBN, is an initiative of the university’s Regional Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, with support from the Faraday Institution. The launch carried a theme centered on collaboration, innovation and sustainable local value creation in Ghana’s battery ecosystem.
The call was made on behalf of Vice-Chancellor Elvis Asare-Bediako by Emmanuel Kwasi Nyantakyi, dean of the School of Engineering. Asare-Bediako said Ghana must build the expertise, institutions and industrial partnerships needed to take part in the global battery economy, not just adopt imported technologies.
“Our ambition should go beyond being consumers of imported battery technologies,” the statement said, adding that Ghana should aim to produce knowledge, develop solutions, take part in manufacturing and value addition, and lead in sustainable battery management in Africa.
He cautioned that owning natural resources and adopting technology alone would not guarantee lasting economic gains. Ghana needs the skills, policies, standards, institutions, industries and partnerships to capture value from the battery economy, he said.
The network is expected to bring together universities, industry, government agencies, regulators, financial institutions and other stakeholders to coordinate research, share expertise and develop practical solutions to sector challenges.
Asare-Bediako said no single institution can supply all the expertise, investment, policy support and infrastructure a battery sector needs. He asked government to create an enabling policy and regulatory environment, industry to drive investment and commercialization, and universities to build research capacity and train a skilled workforce.
Samuel Gyamfi, director of the Regional Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, said the network will give researchers, policymakers, industry players and investors a platform to build partnerships and tackle challenges across the battery value chain. He said batteries are increasingly important for renewable energy integration, energy storage and electric mobility.
The launch comes amid rising global demand for batteries, driven by renewable energy expansion, electric mobility and the shift to low-carbon economies. The launch noted that Ghana could use its renewable energy potential to position itself in emerging critical minerals and energy-storage value chains.
Battery storage is also on the regional agenda. Energy ministers of the Economic Community of West African States are meeting in Accra to consider two instruments, one of them on battery energy storage. An ECOWAS commissioner said storage is essential for supporting solar power, particularly during peak demand, and could help reduce electricity production costs.
Energy and Green Transition Minister John Abdulai Jinapor said Ghana is pursuing battery storage solutions to manage peak demand and improve use of existing generation capacity.
The Faraday Institution is the United Kingdom’s battery research institute and runs a program on batteries for emerging economies, which has included a researcher from the same UENR center among its battery ambassadors.
The reported remarks did not include funding figures or timelines for the network.
