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other concerned parties such as PV industries and universities or other academic institutions, and build
a quality assurance scheme as soon as possible.
The institutions (organizations) or individuals issuing certificates of quality assurance are allowed to
engage in certification upon being accredited by the accrediting institution.
These certifying
organizations may be established by private parties; universities and other research institutions may also
become involved. In addition, they could also be founded jointly by private firms and universities.
6.2.2 Training and establishment of test facilities
For Ghana's PV industry, there is an urgent need to establish a scheme for training engineers
(technicians) and facilities for testing of PV equipment. Naturally, this training and testing requires a
final accreditation, and this demands the construction of an organization following the flow of the
accreditation scheme for quality assurance.
The body with this accrediting authority obviously need not be the national government; it may be a
private firm or individual. The important thing is to have the organizations or individuals endowed with
this authority to fully exercise their strengths and compete with each other in order to raise the overall
level of quality. For example, the private sector has depth in on-site operations, and universities, in
basic research, research facilities, and education. By drawing on their respective strengths and
compensating for each other's weaknesses, they could build a distinctive training scheme and testing
organization.
As mentioned in connection with its rebuilding, the RESPRO could provide a training program with
an accrediting authority of its own in partnership with polytechnic schools in the northern regions.
Meanwhile, large PV dealers headquartered in the national capital area could build suuch educational
facilities and testing centers as industry counterparts, and also partner with national universities.
6.2.3 Official regulations
The EC has already instated a provisional license scheme for the PV industry, and a number of large
PV dealers have applied for licenses. The scheme was instated by the EC precisely to avoid the loss of
consumer confidence in PV systems by assuring the quality of those in the market, as mentioned at the
outset of this chapter.
At the same time, overly harsh regulations are liable to stunt the growth of the market. For parties
that intend to launch small PV businesses on a local level, acquisition of a license is by no means an
easy proposition, for reasons of expense and other factors. Among the concerned parties, there are
apprehensions about excessive regulation by the government.
Viewed in a different light, the instatement of a licensing scheme is merely a means of regulation. In
discussion of the propriety of a licensing scheme, the important question is instead how to assure the
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