Fairtrade certified organisation in Ghana, Bomarts Farms has commissioned a 170KWp solar energy project to support its operations through a Lease-to-own model. BeBa Africa, a solar company from Germany together with its local partner Tino Solutions installed and inaugurated the plant, fully financed by ecoligo at a cost of €160,000.
In other to improve productivity and energy efficiency Bomarts Farms decided to employ innovation to ensure business continuity. According to the Chief Executive Office of Bomarts Farms, Anthony Botchway, the move to go into the use of solar will go a long way to help the company curb a greater portion of the challenges it faces with power supply.
He said: “Most importantly, this move is to find a way to reduce our energy costs. We have huge energy costs, both in the form of electricity bills, but also by the way we power our ovens, using gas and other energy sources. We believe that solar energy in the near future is going to reduce our energy costs, especially after paying off the investment for the solar system. Once we have paid it off, it becomes ours and this will really cut down our energy costs.”
“We are a company that is recognised for sustainability, in all our activities one can see aspects of sustainability and this is not a marketing gimmick. Solar energy, being a clean and renewable energy source, does not pollute the environment unlike thermal energy sources such as diesel or other fossil fuels”, he added.
The Managing Director of BeBa Africa, Michael Ball, also added that there is a great potential for the use of solar energy for industry in Africa, especially in Ghana, due to its excellent climatic conditions and more importantly due to the high cost of grid electricity.
“I think solar is a proven, reliable and readily available technology to enable cost savings for companies that face high grid electricity costs and seek to enhance their competitiveness by curbing their operating expenditure; even more so in the light of the effects COVID-19 is having on business operations.”
He further advised industries, companies and businesses with international operations to take advantage of renewable energy supplies, not only because of their cost-competitiveness, but also to improve on their environmental performance and take further steps towards sustainability.
Fairtrade Africa supports initiatives that promote sustainable agricultural value chains through strategic partnerships among its producer organisations. This is line with Fairtrade’s 2021- 2025 strategy which focuses on product and market development; policy and advocacy; sustainable farming systems; and transformed and empowered producer organisations.