Moving from interest in solar energy to actual investment can be challenging. Businesses often face questions about where to find credible technical expertise, how to assess the feasibility of a proposed solar project, which service providers can be trusted, and how to access suitable financing.
It is against this backdrop that the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) Energy Service Centre (AGI-ESC), in partnership with Swisscontact, launched BisaConnect, Ghana’s first inclusive solar e-marketplace and renewable energy investment-readiness platform, at the Future of Energy Conference 2026 in Accra.
Held under the theme “Unlocking Investment Pathways for Sustainable Energy Solutions in Africa,” the launch brought together stakeholders from industry, government, finance and the renewable energy sector to explore practical pathways for increasing investment in sustainable energy solutions.
For Ghanaian businesses, energy remains a significant component of operating costs. Speaking at the launch, Seth Twum-Akwaboah, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), highlighted the link between energy costs and business competitiveness.
“One of the key elements in cost is energy, and the energy bit is so critical because if you’re able to reduce cost of energy, you can become more competitive.”
One of the challenges businesses face is navigating an increasingly technical solar market. With numerous companies offering consultancy and installation services, businesses can find it difficult to identify credible providers and determine whether a proposed solution will deliver the expected technical and financial returns.
BisaConnect responds to this challenge by providing businesses with a structured pathway to explore renewable energy solutions. Through the platform, businesses can register their interest and access qualified consultants who can support them with energy assessments, feasibility studies and appropriate energy plans.
The platform also connects businesses with certified solar service providers and financial institutions, creating a more coordinated pathway from initial assessment through to project development and financing.
The launch was followed by a panel discussion bringing together experts from the energy and finance sectors to explore practical approaches to overcoming the financing and investment barriers facing renewable energy projects in Ghana.
The discussion featured Ing. Samuel Kofi Kyei-Boateng, Mr. Kweku Osei-Sarpong, Mr. Ishmael Edjekumhene and Mr. Stephen Andoh, and was moderated by Afefa Mireille Akoumany.
The conversation reinforced a central message of the BisaConnect launch: unlocking Ghana’s renewable energy potential requires stronger connections between businesses, technical expertise and finance. By improving access to information, credible technical assessments and appropriate financing pathways, initiatives such as BisaConnect can help turn viable clean-energy opportunities into investable projects.
A key feature of BisaConnect is its focus on feasibility. Before committing significant resources to a solar installation, businesses need to understand whether a project is technically appropriate and commercially viable.
Through the platform, businesses can request feasibility studies and receive support in assessing their energy needs and potential solar solutions. This provides a stronger basis for engaging service providers and exploring appropriate financing options.
Swisscontact’s support helps reduce one of the initial barriers to this process by contributing significantly towards the cost of feasibility studies, an intervention that AGI sees as particularly valuable for businesses considering solar investments.
The platform is therefore designed not simply to connect businesses to solar providers, but to help them make investment decisions based on credible technical and financial information.
The transition to renewable energy requires more than individual businesses making investment decisions. It also depends on a supportive ecosystem in which regulators, industry associations, technical experts, financiers and businesses work together.
This was underscored at the launch by Julius Nkansah-Nyarko, Senior Manager for Renewable Energy Regulations at the Energy Commission, who called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to unlock investment opportunities in Ghana’s renewable energy sector.
He reaffirmed the Energy Commission’s commitment to working with industry stakeholders to strengthen Ghana’s renewable energy ecosystem and support the responsible development of the sector.
The Energy Commission’s participation highlights the importance of collaboration across Ghana’s renewable energy ecosystem. Platforms such as BisaConnect can help strengthen these connections by creating clearer pathways between businesses seeking energy solutions and the technical and financial actors needed to deliver them.
For Kofi Anim Ayeko, Senior Manager at Swisscontact Ghana, the challenge BisaConnect seeks to address extends beyond the availability of capital.
Businesses also need access to reliable information, credible technical expertise and trusted service providers. When these elements do not connect effectively, viable renewable energy projects can remain unrealised.
“These barriers create a gap between demand, technical expertise, and capital.”
BisaConnect is designed to help close this gap by bringing businesses, consultants, solar service providers and financial institutions into a more coordinated ecosystem.
This approach reflects Swisscontact’s broader commitment to inclusive systems development. Rather than operating as a direct market player, Swisscontact works with market actors to address underlying constraints and create conditions that enable sustainable solutions to scale.
The launch of BisaConnect comes at a time when businesses are increasingly looking for ways to manage energy costs while improving their environmental performance and long-term resilience.
By connecting demand with technical expertise and capital, the platform aims to help businesses navigate the different stages of a solar investment, from initial interest and feasibility assessment to service-provider selection, financing and implementation.
For AGI, the ambition is to accelerate renewable energy adoption across Ghana’s industrial sector. For the Energy Commission, stronger collaboration among market actors can help unlock investment opportunities while supporting the responsible development of the renewable energy sector. For Swisscontact, the initiative represents an opportunity to strengthen the market systems that can make this transition sustainable beyond individual projects.
Ultimately, BisaConnect seeks to answer the question “I want to go solar, but whom do I contact?” easier to answer, and to give Ghanaian businesses the information, expertise and connections they need to move from interest to investment.