The NDC Action project in Ghana through its National Technical Institution, the Regional Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (RCEES), hosted by the University for Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), kicked off a two-week technical and financial training on Solar Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS) for key stakeholders including smallholder farmers from Monday 12th- Wednesday 21st February 2024.
The program welcomed a diverse cohort of professionals from across engineering, agriculture and finance policy makers. The first week of the training focused on the technical aspects of SPIS engineering, installation and operation. In attendance were smallholder farmers, agricultural extension officers, irrigation scheme managers and financial institutions.
The training combined classroom theory and practical field visits to enrich the knowledge transfer. The attendees brought their unique expertise and experience to the table, fostering an environment ripe for collaboration and knowledge exchange. The second week focused on the financing aspects of SPIS deployment which welcomed a diversity of financial institutions to the training. The financial institutions were mainly rural and community banks and specialized financing institutions like GIRSAL and the ARB Apex bank. The smallholder farmers and irrigation experts from the Ghana Irrigation Authority (GIDA) were also present to balance the session with the non-financial dimensions of project development which often translate into financial risks.
The faculty of industry experts from RCEES shared insights and practical knowledge, equipping participants with the tools and skills necessary to drive sustainable agricultural financing forward in the face of climate change and water scarcity. Participants were taken through sessions on Ghana’s NDCs and the need for the intervention, the basics of the SPIS technology, field visits, risk identification for SPIS, tools for financial analysis, finance delivery mechanisms for SPIS and finally case studies which gave participants a practical engagement on financing the group of climate technologies.
It is expected that credit officers and farmer representatives from financial institutions and farmer cooperatives respectively, who were present at the training, will become trainers of trainees who will propagate the knowledge acquired in their organizations with a better understanding of how to access SPIS risk and structure financing for the sector. Increased affordable and appropriate financing for SPIS in Ghana will increase adoption of the technology, replacing diesel generators and consequently reduce GHG emissions, improve water use, food security and sustained livelihoods.
