Ghana has recognised veteran energy executive Jabesh Amissah-Arthur with a Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 40 years of service to the country’s power sector at the 9th Edition of the prestigious Ghana Energy Awards. Amissah-Arthur, who began his career in 1979 on the Kpong Hydroelectric Project, rose through senior technical and operational roles at the state-owned Volta River Authority (VRA), eventually serving as Deputy Chief Executive for Engineering and Operations. He led strategy, asset-management reforms and oversight mechanisms across generation, transmission and distribution. In 2009, he was appointed Chief Executive of the Bui Power Authority, where he supervised the construction and commissioning of Ghana’s 400-MW Bui hydropower facility. His tenure included resettlement of over 1,200 people in affected communities, institutional staffing and implementation of environmental mitigation measures, making the Bui project one of Ghana’s largest public energy investments.
Amissah-Arthur has also held regional roles, including chairmanship of the West African Gas Pipeline Authority and co-chair of the Ghana–U.S. Partnership for Growth power group, contributing to gas-to-power integration and regulatory coordination across the West African bloc. As a Principal Consultant, he has worked on power-purchase agreements, joint ventures, gas-supply arrangements and engineering contracts, and contributed to regulatory frameworks such as the National Electricity Grid Code and initiatives supporting solar deployment through the West African Solar Corridor agenda. He has previously received several industry honours, including Consultancy Company of the Year (2018) and Outstanding Energy Consultancy (2019). The Awarding Panel said his work had “indelibly shaped Ghana and West Africa’s energy sector through operational excellence, negotiation leadership and systems innovation.” His recognition at this year’s Ghana Energy Awards reflects the lasting impact of his leadership and the standard of excellence that continues to inspire the sector.