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Energy
Energy
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Solar Installation

Outages and rising tariffs make solar an easy sell, the constraint is import capital and financing for customers.

01

Business structure

Sizing, supplying and installing solar panels, inverters and batteries for homes and businesses, plus maintenance contracts.

02

Capital requirements

All figures in Ghana Cedis (GHs). These are planning estimates, so get quotes from local suppliers before committing money.

Panels, batteries, inverters or plantGHs 33,000 to GHs 275,000
Installation tools and vehicleGHs 11,000 to GHs 90,000
Warehouse or officeGHs 9,600 to GHs 80,000
Energy Commission licensing and EPA permitGHs 6,600 to GHs 55,000
Total initial investmentGHs 60,000 to GHs 500,000

*Budget an additional GHs 1,000 to GHs 2,500 for business registration processes at ORC if your business is not registered.

03

Licensing & permits

The compliance path in Ghana, from registration through to sector regulators.

  1. 1Reserve the name and register the business at the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC)
  2. 2Get a TIN linked to your Ghana Card and register for tax at the nearest GRA office
  3. 3Apply for a Business Operating Permit from your Metropolitan, Municipal or District Assembly
  4. 4Apply for the relevant licence from the Energy Commission (or NPA for petroleum products)
  5. 5Obtain an EPA permit and Ghana National Fire Service certification for the site
  6. 6Register the business and your staff with SSNIT once you start paying salaries
04

Target market

  • Homes tired of outages
  • Schools, clinics and churches
  • Businesses cutting generator cost
05

Risk assessment

01

High upfront import cost on panels, batteries and inverters

02

Customers defaulting on instalment plans

03

Battery replacement liabilities inside the warranty window

04

Policy and tariff changes altering the payback maths

06

Marketing strategies

  1. 1Target businesses tired of ECG outages with a clear payback calculation
  2. 2Offer instalment plans through a partner bank or fintech
  3. 3Show working installations, a site visit closes more than a brochure
  4. 4Build an accredited technician network for maintenance revenue
08

Data, reports and sample plans

Check these figures against official Ghanaian and World Bank sources, then start from a plan outline built for this kind of venture.

Energy Commission of GhanaNational energy statisticsElectricity supply, tariffs, petroleum consumption and renewable capacity, the numbers behind energy and fuel ventures.World BankEnterprise Surveys: GhanaFirm level survey data on sales, employment, access to finance, power outages and the biggest obstacles Ghanaian businesses report. Useful for benchmarking your assumptions.World BankGhana country data and reportsInflation, GDP growth, population and business environment indicators, plus the Ghana Economic Update published twice a year.Ghana Statistical ServiceIntegrated Business Establishment SurveyThe national census of business establishments: how many exist by sector and region, their size and how many people they employ.

Retail shop plan

A worked sample plan for a provisions or general goods shop, with stock, margin and daily footfall assumptions.

Services and tech plan

Sample plan for a service or digital business, covering pricing per client, utilisation and recurring revenue.

More institutions, calculators and templates are on the Resources page.

Fees, levies and permit requirements change. Confirm the current position with the Office of the Registrar of Companies, the Ghana Revenue Authority and your Metropolitan, Municipal or District Assembly before you spend.

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