Accra, Feb 08, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appointed Dr Ishmael Ackah as the Acting Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).
The Energy Economist with more than ten years of experience in energy and petroleum policy, started work on Monday, February 7.
He succeeded Mrs Mami Dufie Ofori, who served the Commission as Executive Secretary for the past five years.
In a press statement by the Commission and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, the Board Chairman, Commissioners, Management and Staff of PURC pledged to continue to serve the interest of consumers and all utility service providers.
Dr Ackah’s experience cuts across public service, private sector, civil society and academia, and once served as the first Coordinator of the Local Content Secretariat at the Ghana Energy Commission.
As the Coordinator, he initiated an industry-wide baseline study before the full implementation of the Local Content Regulations.
He also served in the role as the Regulatory and Electricity Market Expert at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) West Africa Energy Program, Deloitte Ghana.
Through a collaboration between the Ghana Oil and Gas for Inclusive and the Government of Ghana (GOGIG), he was recruited as a Technical Advisor on Energy and Petroleum Policies to the Minister for Planning.
Dr Ackah led the team that developed the energy and petroleum sections of the 2017 and 2021 Coordinated Programme for Economic and Social Development Policies.
He has provided research consultancy services for the United Nations University, African Development Bank, IHS Markit, Ghana’s National Accreditation Board, the Natural Resource Governance Institute and SNV Ghana.
Dr Ackah served as an adjunct Lecturer at the Institute for Oil and Gas Studies, University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the Department of Economics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
At the 2017 Ghana Energy Awards, Ishmael received the Rising Star Award. He was also chosen for the 2018 Australian Awards Africa in the category of Energy and Mineral Economics.
He holds a PhD in Energy Economics from the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, as well as an MSc in Energy Economics from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.
He also holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
About PURC
The Commission was established in October 1997 under the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission Act, 1997 (Act 538) as a multi-sector regulator to regulate the provision of electricity and water utility services.
By virtue of the Energy Commission Act, 1997 (Act 541) PURC also regulates transportation of natural gas services.
Among others, it provides guidelines for rates to be charged for the provision of utility services, examines, and approves utility rates.
The Commission also monitors and enforces standards of performance for provision of utility service and promotes fair competition among public utilities.
PURC receives, investigates, and settles complaints relating to utility services, and advises any person or authority in respect of any public utility.
