As the global marketplace shifts to alternative energy, Ghana’s first solar panel factory is stealing the spotlight for what are, perhaps, obvious reasons.
Francis Akuamoah Boateng built Solar Power Solutions (SPS) in 2016, and since then, his business has been slowly but steadily growing. According to Face2Face Africa, Boateng built the factory at a cost of $50 million. Born out of Boateng’s vision for an Africa that was solely dependent on alternative energy, SPS provides “off-grid and grid systems, photovoltaic systems and PV street lights,” per its website.
Boateng realized that Ghana needed a solar panel factory when he would walk the streets at night and realize that it was always dark because there wasn’t enough electricity to power the lights.
“So I said to myself, ‘why can’t we have lights around and then I remembered that the national grid cannot extend to those areas?’” he said in an interview.
He also said that it was rare for rural areas in Ghana to have electricity — a commodity the Westernized world takes for granted — which was another reason why he was inspired to establish SPS.
Today, Boateng’s son manages the solar panel factory, whose products are exclusively manufactured and distributed in Ghana. In addition to providing jobs and electricity, SPS provides inspiration to the Ghanaian locals, who look to Boateng as an aspirational businessman.
