Meet Salma Okonkwo, Who Sparked a Dynamic Shift In Ghana’s Energy Sector

Ghanaian entrepreneur Salma Okonkwo is taking initiatives in her home country’s energy sector through Blue Power energy, a solar power company.

This makes her one of the few women pioneering the sector in Ghana. Through her company, she bridged the gap between the producers of the energy source and the users.

Apart from the revenue generations that drive the business, Okonkwo started with the mindset of making electricity available and causing a difference in Ghana, especially in her paternal community.

Blue Power Energy

Salma Okonkwo started the solar power company after discovering that the sector is yet unexplored; the country has an abundance of sunshine and the need to provide cheap electricity. Seeing that the business was viable, she ventured into it and founded Blue Power Energy.

In 2015, she started by researching and learning all she needed to know about the business. By 2018, she acquired some required documents, such as an agreement with the Ghanaian government’s renewable arm, BUI Power Authority. 

Since its inception, the company has embarked on different projects. As it is a long-term business idea, it is yet to start generating huge revenue.

The company is currently developing two solar farms in Ghana with a projection of eight more farms by 2028. By 2023, It has a contract to supply 3 million people with 140 megawatts of clean energy. As of 2021, it supplied solar energy to 50,000 homes in Ghana.

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Before Blue Power Energy

Before founding Blue Power Energy, Salma Okonkwo entered the entrepreneurial world by establishing UBI Group, an oil and gas company.

Her pivot from the corporate world to being an entrepreneur can be attributed to her maternal side of the family. The women from her maternal side are known for their entrepreneurial skills.

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