The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Micheal Okyere Baafi has commissioned Ghana’s first-ever air-conditioning test facility for the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA).
This ultra-modern facility was built with funds provided by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an Agency of the United States Government, under the Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management Project of the Ghana Power Compact at a cost of US$ 1,886,981.14.
Michael Okyere Baafi speaking at the ceremony said this state-of-the-art facility, comprising an Air Conditioner Test Containment Building and the Testing Laboratory, is the first of its kind in Ghana and the West Africa Sub-Region, can test 96 Air Conditioners and 48 Refrigeration appliances annually.
According to him, the Facility is in support of the Government’s efforts towards implementing a national program to enforce performance labeling of ductless Room Air conditioning systems also known as RAC Systems in the country.
“It will also ensure that appliances meet a minimum efficiency performance standard and contribute to the efficient use of electricity. It will further enable GSA to conduct tests and ensure that Air Conditioners and Refrigerators imported into Ghana meet the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) as per the Energy Commission’s Energy Efficiency Regulations” he added.
He continues that the Test Laboratory is equipped with a Balanced Ambient Room Calorimeter (BARC) Test Chamber for evaluation of the capacity and performance of Room Ambient Calorimeters (RACs), which makes it compliant with the ISO 5151 Standards thereby further enhancing our capacity to promote standardization and energy efficiency within the sector.
The Deputy Minister who also doubles as the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South in the Eastern Region added that the Government of Ghana has a rapid Industrialisation Agenda to fast-track growth of industry and an enabling environment for creating adequate numbers of well-paying jobs in Ghana.
“Facilities such as this create new jobs and I expect the GSA to attract the best talent within Ghana to run this facility so that it can be profit-making in the shortest possible time. This project can offer services to other countries in the sub-region so that the GSA will make enough profit to build additional facilities” he underscored.
He concluded that “I am happy this inauguration is happening at the time that the GSA is re-tooling and repositioning itself in the sub-region and Africa as a leader in the field with a mission to contribute towards the growth of industry, consumer protection, and trade facilitation through standardization, metrology, and conformity assessment”.
Air Conditioners and Refrigeration appliances are high energy-consuming appliances, therefore, the establishment of the Test Laboratory will support Ghana’s energy efficiency agenda.
The Facility will enable the Ghana Standards Authority to test and ensure that all Air Conditioners and Refrigerators imported into Ghana meet the Minimum Energy Performance Standard (MEPS) set out in the Energy Commission’s Energy Efficiency Regulations.
The Facility will also aid the effectiveness of the current Energy Efficiency Appliance Standards and Labelling regime being undertaken by the Energy Commission
The Test Laboratory was constructed and equipped under the US$316m Ghana Power Compact Program with funds provided by the Government of the United States of
America, acting through its Agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
BY Daniel Bampoe