{"id":94933,"date":"2025-09-19T16:43:55","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T16:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=94933"},"modified":"2025-09-19T16:43:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T16:43:55","slug":"power-with-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=94933","title":{"rendered":"Power with purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>11 Minute, 13 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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Baafour Asiamah-Adjei \u201903 is the founder and CEO of one of Ghana\u2019s largest private power companies,\u00a0Genser Energy\u2014an entrepreneurial engineer who aims to deliver sustainable energy across West Africa. And he credits MIT with much of his success. But when he was applying to colleges, the Institute wasn\u2019t even on his radar.<\/p>\n

The son of an encouraging primary school teacher in Tafo, Ghana, he\u2019d earned a spot at the storied\u00a0Achimota School\u00a0and excelled. Still, he didn\u2019t think he was smart enough for MIT.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Asiamah-Adjei was accepted to Lehigh University, where he planned to major in engineering. But when he went to the US embassy in Accra for his mandatory meeting with Nancy Keteku, then the regional educational advising coordinator for West and Central Africa, the first thing she said was, \u201cYou got a perfect score on your SAT. Why didn\u2019t you apply to MIT?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t believe I\u2019d get in,\u201d he says, \u201cso I didn\u2019t even try.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The admission deadline was two days away. Asiamah-Adjei finished the application in one. His father drove it to the airport and engaged the help of a flight attendant at Ghana Airways, who couriered it to New York and mailed it in time.<\/p>\n

The spark of purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n

Asiamah-Adjei got into MIT and thrived. After earning his degree in mechanical engineering, he landed a demanding role at the global consulting firm McKinsey and worked on teams that optimised flight routes for FedEx, determined best practices for airline engine maintenance, and devised practical workflows for moving factories from one country to another.<\/p>\n

The job was intellectually challenging and fulfilling. But he felt something was missing in his life: purpose.<\/p>\n

In 2005, Asiamah-Adjei took a rare break to visit Pablo Tribin \u201901, a friend since they\u2019d bonded at an intense MIT $50K Global Startup Workshop in Australia. Tribin and his father, Hugo Tribin, SM \u201963, had just established a power company, Genser (for \u201cgeneration services\u201d), in their home country of Colombia with a holding company in the US. As the friends floated in the pool at Tribin\u2019s apartment building in Miami, Tribin asked Asiamah-Adjei if he had ever thought about working in the power industry.<\/p>\n

In 2005, only 41% of Ghana\u2019s population had access to electricity. Much of that electricity was generated by the Akosombo and Kpong dams on the Volta River, but relying on hydroelectric power made Ghana susceptible to climate fluctuations that affect water levels. Recalling how much his MIT thermodynamics class (then called Heat and Mass Transfer) with\u00a0Ernest Cravalho\u00a0had stayed with him, Asiamah-Adjei realised that perhaps delving into energy was not such a wild idea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe seed had been sown,\u201d he says. He took a year off from McKinsey to go to Ghana and explore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That year led him to realise that Ghana desperately needed a more robust power supply if it was going to industrialise and expand economic opportunity for its citizens. He also saw an opportunity to create infrastructure that reflected the values he believed in\u2014systems built with precision, scaled with care, and grounded in the local context. If he could help build a power company that worked not only efficiently but ethically\u2014by training Ghanaian engineers, choosing technologies that made long-term environmental sense, and reinvesting in the communities it served\u2014then he could turn his skills into something larger than profit: He could invest in Ghana\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

But first, he had to turn a profit.<\/p>\n

By 2007, he had founded Genser Power Ghana (a partner to Colombia\u2019s Genser Power), a company committed to providing efficient and reliable power systems\u2014fueled initially by natural gas and eventually by sustainable sources\u2014throughout Ghana. He and Tribin, along with their fathers, led the board of directors. They also created a US holding company to support Genser\u2019s expansion and attract private investment.<\/p>\n

It appeared that Asiamah-Adjei had found his purpose.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0mission and values\u00a0of the company, now called Genser Energy, are rooted in the two institutions that shaped its founder\u2019s approach to business and to life. From MIT (which inspired a commitment to \u201cbe fact-based at all times\u201d), Asiamah-Adjei gained not just an engineering education but also a way of dealing with the unknown\u2014with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to experiment. MIT instilled in him the confidence to say \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d and the discipline to find out. \u201cMIT teaches you that you actually don\u2019t know enough yet,\u201d he says. \u201cYou need to be doing research and finding out more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At McKinsey, he learned how to turn inquiry into action\u2014and to distinguish between facts and judgments. His time there also inspired the idea that Genser\u2019s team should \u201cmaintain an obligation to disagree\u201d\u2014that is, to speak up when warranted. \u00a0<\/p>\n

MIT roots and modular thinking<\/strong><\/p>\n

Asiamah-Adjei says that learning basic coding at MIT in 2.001 (Mechanics and Materials I) opened a whole new way of understanding how systems work. \u201cOne of the first things I learned in my sophomore year was that you can build computer software in modules and then let the modules talk to each other,\u201d he says. \u201cAs a concept, that didn\u2019t exist in my young brain until that class.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This idea of breaking down complex systems into interlocking components became the philosophical and physical backbone of Genser\u2019s operation, inspiring both Asiamah-Adjei and Tribin to reimagine power-plant construction. Instead of building plants from scratch on site\u2014often in remote areas\u2014they develop replicable, factory-built sections and transport them to the site, where they are assembled like Lego structures. Genser worked with companies such as Caterpillar to reengineer their standard generator systems into modular skid-mounted units that are easier to scale and deploy. <\/p>\n

Asiamah-Adjei also collaborated with a team of US engineers to design other skid-mounted modules, such as gas-control units (which include such things as instrumentation, control systems, valves, and piping) that are fabricated in China. These modules can be stacked and adapted as needed to build 30-, 60-, or 120-megawatt power generation systems. This approach also makes it possible to offer smaller, incremental contracts in place of massive one-size-fits-all power deals, ultimately benefiting both Genser and the emerging economies it serves. The result is an energy infrastructure that\u2019s less expensive and easier to scale. And that, he claims, is the fundamental difference between Genser and its competitors.<\/p>\n

Modularity allows Genser to build infrastructure at about a third of the typical cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Genser launched its operations by supplying electricity directly to Ghana\u2019s industrial sector. It started with the country\u2019s gold mines after two Genser interns\u2014Chen-rei Wan, SM \u201907, PhD \u201911, and Stephanie Dalquist \u201902, MEng \u201903, SM \u201905\u2014conducted a comprehensive review of all Ghanaian industries and determined that the mines\u2019 high, consistent electricity demands, limited access to reliable power, and urgent operational needs made them highly motivated and well-resourced early adopters. \u201cAt that time, Pablo in Latin America was focused mainly on oil and gas and textile industries,\u201d says Asiamah-Adjei. \u201cBut we took a very different turn.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of the eight power plants it has built\u2014seven in Ghana and one in Burkina Faso\u2014three have powered gold mines exclusively, and others have also supplied power to the grid and to C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire. With five still operating under its control, Genser has the ability to generate over 200 megawatts of electricity and plays a leading role in supplying power to West African industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to helping Genser target its first customers, Dalquist also introduced Asiamah-Adjei to Frances Rogoz \u201907, an economics major drawn to development work after taking a D-Lab class at MIT. Rogoz soon joined Genser as its first full-time hire and has been with the company ever since.<\/p>\n

Rogoz started when the company was operating out of an office fashioned from a shipping container. She helped shape Genser\u2019s growth by developing financial models, advising on contracts, and playing a key role in leading major infrastructure projects\u2014most notably a natural-gas pipeline across western Ghana that has become vital. Today, she serves as VP of project development, leading a team of 10 and overseeing West African strategic initiatives. \u201cThe natural-gas pipeline has been super transformative for us,\u201d she says. \u201cIt has allowed us to really invest in infrastructure, not only that we can use, but that the whole country can use.\u201d Genser is now Ghana\u2019s largest owner of gas pipelines and its only private one, operating four that total 430 kilometres.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Genser\u2019s growth has not come without controversy. In 2022, a coalition of Ghanaian civil society organisations charged that the company was receiving preferential treatment on gas tariffs and bypassing regulatory procedures. Asiamah-Adjei says these claims were \u201cmisinformed,\u201d and ultimately they were dismissed by the Ghanaian parliament after an intense, months-long investigation. He believes the attacks reflected public suspicion of private infrastructure development rather than distrust of Genser\u2019s operations and says that, ironically, they solidified the company\u2019s standing: \u201cPrior to this, everybody thought our pipelines belonged to the government, because nobody builds these things in Africa.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

While transporting fossil fuels is never a clean process, Genser conducted environmental and social impact assessments to guide sustainable pipeline construction. The company also works to mitigate environmental harm with land restoration and biodiversity measures. It had planted 100,000 teak seedlings as of 2023 and plans to reach 1 million by 2028 as part of its commitment to environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n

Crossing borders, fueling growth<\/strong><\/p>\n

Genser\u2019s most ambitious project to date is a cross-\u00adborder natural-gas pipeline stretching from Prestea, Ghana, to Abidjan, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, with long-term plans to extend into Guinea. \u201cWe built the gas infrastructure to be able to take the gas to a less developed country, to displace diesel, and now we will backfill that with solar or wind,\u201d says Asiamah-Adjei. Genser now finally has the capital to move forward on an original goal: investing in the infrastructure needed to produce renewable energy.<\/p>\n

In 2018 and 2019, Genser brought in two graduates of MIT\u2019s Technology and Public Policy program\u2014Elizabeth Murphy \u201915, SM \u201918, and Janet Yun, SM \u201918\u2014to help chart the pipeline\u2019s course. Instead of opting for the most direct route, they studied regional development trends to anticipate industrial zones that might emerge over the next 25 years, and the company routed the pipeline accordingly. \u201cBottom line is that we brought on MIT people whenever we needed to solve our problems,\u201d says Asiamah-Adjei.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As part of his goal to help Ghana transition from diesel power to cleaner-burning fuel, he came up with the idea of building a gas-processing facility to handle roughly 30% to 40% of the country\u2019s domestic gas supply, and he and Tribin designed it during the pandemic using \u201cback of the envelope\u201d calculations and lessons from MIT courses 2.005 and 2.006. Although Tribin divested from both Genser Energy and Genser Latin America and started\u00a0Mechero Energy\u00a0in 2015 to develop new strategies for transitioning to cleaner energy, he still works closely with Genser as a consultant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Educating engineers and the next generation<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the beginning, Genser has invested in Ghanaian talent, partnering with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Africa on an elite professional development program that recruits and trains recent university graduates. \u201cHalf of my team basically came from the SEO program,\u201d says Rogoz. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The company rotates cohorts of interns through departments ranging from engineering to legal and finance, offering full-time positions to top performers. Genser also collaborates with Ghana\u2019s Ministry of Energy to develop training pathways that align university curricula with industry needs. The goal, Asiamah-Adjei says, is simple: \u201cLet us be a platform for training Ghanaians.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rogoz\u2019s team alone includes five SEO graduates; many more now lead projects or departments across the company. \u201cThere\u2019s a ton of human capital in Ghana,\u201d she says. \u201cIt has just not been realised\u2014and that\u2019s really important for us to develop those people and bring them up within the company.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Genser expands, Asiamah-Adjei is also thinking about the next generation. In Ghana, he is building \u201can MIT of a high school\u201d focusing on STEAM, in memory of his late mother, Aforo Asiamah-Adjei, a boarding school for some 840 students in grades six through 12. More than half will come from lower-\u00adincome families and receive a full scholarship through the foundation he established in his mother\u2019s name to empower orphans and communities through education in STEM, sports, and the arts. \u201cWe find the smartest kids in the region,\u201d he says, \u201cand we put them through a rigorous program and [prepare them] to enter universities, global universities.\u201d Construction is slated to begin this fall, with a planned opening date of September 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whether developing infrastructure across West Africa or launching a school to cultivate future changemakers, Asiamah-Adjei is investing in systems that endure. And just as Genser began with a conversation between friends, it continues to be powered by relationships\u2014between mentors and interns, engineers and economists, founders and funders. Each one is a link in an evolving network connecting energy, education, and economic development.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This article was originally published in MIT Alumni News and MIT Technology Review<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"PowerBaafour Asiamah-Adjei \u201903 is the founder and CEO of one of Ghana\u2019s largest private power companies,\u00a0Genser Energy\u2014an entrepreneurial engineer who aims to deliver sustainable energy across West Africa. And he credits MIT with much of his success. But when he was applying to colleges, the Institute wasn\u2019t even on his radar. The son of an [\u2026]<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8860,2113,5782,8861,1883,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-baafuor-asiamah","category-features","category-genser-energy","category-mit","category-national","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94933\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}