WEG Africa’s Ghana branch marks 15 years of serving West Africa

Set up in 2009, initially to provide parts support to the growing installed base in West Africa, WEG Africa’s Ghana operation is today a fully-fledged branch

Through an expanded network of Value Added Resellers (VARs), the branch has boosted its capacity to deliver tailored and responsive solutions to a diverse customer base in West Africa. It places customer success at the centre of its operations, and offers customised solutions that speak directly to market requirements in West Africa.

Foster Yeboah Owusu, regional manager – West Africa – sales at WEG Africa, said VARs play a pivotal role in ensuring customer satisfaction. The branch has a total of eight VARs in key markets such as Nigeria (two), Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Mauritania.

The Ghana entity offers a complete range of WEG solutions across the different product families – industrial electric and electronic equipment, power generation and transmission and commercial and appliance motors. The current focus is on industrial electric and electronic equipment, catering largely for oil and gas, and mining markets.

The main product line includes electric motors, variable speed drives and controls, softstarters, switchgear, geared motors, distribution boards and customised E-houses. This is complemented by a selected range of power generation and transmission products such as oil-cooled and dry-type transformers as well as mobile substations.

Mining drives West African growth

Armed with the globally renowned WEG product offering, coupled with a strong support regime that entails technical support, training and high spare parts availability, WEG Africa’s West African business has seen substantial growth in recent years. The growth has largely been driven by a thriving West African mining sector.

Commenting on emerging trends in the market, Owusu highlighted the accelerated move towards energy efficient solutions. In Ghana, for example, the Government has introduced Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for about 20 different electrical products including transformers, electric motors and air conditioners, amongst others.

As a key industry stakeholder, WEG Africa was part of the electro-mechanical technical committee that prepared the standards on which the MEPS for electrical motors are based. Through this process, the Government of Ghana has set MEPS for electric motors at IE2, up from IE1. The industry, however, is already moving to IE3 and IE4 efficiency standards. Given that electric motors consume 50% of global energy, Owusu explained that the adoption of higher MEPS is a welcome development.

“Governments in West Africa have a big focus on sustainability and environmental management,” added Owusu. “On the back of rapid industrialisation, there is a growing renewable sector in the region. To cater for this market, we intend to expand our offering with WEG’s other existing solutions such as solar systems, hydro and wind turbines.”

This article was authored by WEG Africa. Learn more about the company, its services, and the Ghanaian branch at: www.weg.net