Kasapreko Turns To Solar Energy

Dr Adjei addressing the students during the tour

Richard Adjei, Chief Executive of Kasapreko Company Limited, says owing to the power crisis in the country, his outfit would switch to solar energy by the end of the year to run its facility effectively.

According to him, the switch to solar power is expected to cost the company about $ 5 million and it would provide more than 30 percent of power needed to run the state-of-the-art factory.

Mr Adjei disclosed this in an interview with Nii Ogbamey Tetteh when a group of 60 students from the Harvard University in the US visited the company’s head office off the Spintex Road.

He said the move was part of the company’s 2016 strategy to help tackle pollution.

“By the close of this year, we would have 16,000 meter cube solar panels that can power more than 30 percent of our facility. There are a lot of climate change issues that the world is facing and we want to help anti-pollution issues,” Mr Adjei stated.

He added that currently the company that has the capacity to produce over 110,000 bottles of beverages and water per hour, spends about GH¢150,000 every month on diesel to power their generators during power outage.

The students were taken on a tour of the new $70 million bottling plant, which was recently commissioned by President John Mahama to obtain first-hand information in the production of both alcoholic and non- beverages at Kasapreko.

Dina Pomeranz, an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the leader of the team, said the team chose world-class brands like Kasapreko Company Limited based on the global presence of the company over the past 26 years.

She noted the 10-day tour of Ghana was part of efforts to teach the students how to do business internationally.

“The business potential in Ghana is huge, and it is very important for our students to learn how to do business in such a country.

 “We think it is very important that our students learn how to do business in a different cultural context. The goal of the visit is to open the eyes of the students to different markets around the world,” she noted.

Dr. Adjei, Group Chairman and Founder of the company, who led the students on the tour, disclosed that the company started with five workers in a garage at Nungua 27 years ago.

It has now grown into a multinational beverage company employing over 600 workers.

He urged the students to set high academic standards and adhere to them to achieve success in their chosen careers.

Dr. Adjei hinted that the company, which has made inroads in Nigeria and South Africa, would by the close of 2016 start exporting its products to the US.