At the 2024 Ghana Industrial Summit and Exhibition, the Volta River Authority (VRA) extended an invitation to the public to benefit from its highly acclaimed VRA Academy, a training institution that has been operational since 1981.
With more than four decades of experience, the academy has been instrumental in equipping thousands of professionals with the skills necessary to thrive in both engineering and non-engineering roles within the power and industrial sectors.
Speaking to High Street Journal, Engineer David Kwaasi Oturoku, Principal Training Officer at the VRA Academy, underscored the academy’s commitment to addressing the competency gap across Africa. He encouraged individuals and businesses alike to take advantage of the academy’s diverse training programs.
The VRA Academy, the training division of the Volta River Authority, is recognized as a premier power training facility in West Africa. It caters not only to VRA staff but also to other major African power institutions such as the West African Power Pool and the Association of Power Utilities of Africa.
Each year, the academy trains more than 2,000 individuals through both in-person and online courses. Its engineering courses include Power Plant Operations and Maintenance as well as Power Networks Operations and Maintenance, while non-engineering courses range from Team Building and Emotional Intelligence to Stress Management.
The academy’s programs are accessible to a broad range of applicants, including those with as little as an SSSCE or HND qualification. At a course fee of 2,089 cedis, participants can acquire advanced skills in their chosen field.
In addition to its training services, the VRA Academy also offers external auditing services, providing critical assessments of power infrastructure such as transformers and circuit breakers. Renowned organizations like AngloGold Ashanti and OLAM have sought the academy’s auditing expertise. Its services have reached beyond Ghana, extending to international clients including the Electric Generation and Transmission Company (EGTC) in Sierra Leone and the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC).
For participants attending extended courses or international clients, the academy provides on-site accommodation at a rate of GHC650 per night, allowing trainees to fully engage in the academy’s state-of-the-art training environment.
The academy’s mission is to fill the skills gap in Africa’s power sector, nurturing a new generation of professionals equipped to manage the evolving challenges of modern power and industrial operations. Its rigorous programs have earned the VRA Academy a reputation as a “Center of Excellence” in the West African power industry.
The summit, held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), provided a platform for the VRA Academy to highlight its legacy and reaffirm its role as a leader in power industry training.
