The Ghana Electrical Wiring Regulations 2011, (L.I. 2008) were passed into law by Parliament on Friday 24th February, 2012 as one of the responses to the spate of electrical fires that had occurred in the country. The key objectives of the Regulations are to ensure that only properly qualified and certified professionals engage in electrical wiring and installation works, to well defined standards that would promote the safety of persons, property and livestock. Under these regulations, only Certified Electrical Wiring Professionals (CEWPs), qualified under the regulations, will be legally entitled to undertake indoor electrical wiring projects.

The regulations require the Energy Commission to issue guidelines for the certification of electricians within six months after commencement of these regulations. These guidelines have been produced and subjected to comment by key stakeholders, and the final document can be downloaded here. These guidelines cover the certification process, including the classes of certification, application process, exemptions, the transitional provisions, and the mechanisms for enforcement of the regulations.

The Energy Commission also engaged the Technical Education Unit (TEU) of the Ghana Education Service to produce a curriculum for the examination and certification of electricians. The curriculum for the examinations is now complete and the first examinations are scheduled for November 2013. Copies of the curriculum will shortly be available for purchase.

All pre-existing qualifications and licences for conducting electrical wiring projects will cease to be valid on 24th February 2014. Until this date, holders of Indoor Installation Licenses issued by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) or other similar body recognized by a licensed electricity distribution utility under Regulation 2 (1)(a) of L.I.1816, shall upon an application to the Energy Commission, be issued a provisional certificate to practice as CEWPs for a transitional period ending on 24th February 2015.

Within the period ending on 24th February 2015, holders of Indoor Installation Licenses issued by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) or other similar body recognized by a licensed electricity distribution utility under Regulation 2 (1)(a) of L.I.1816, are expected to have their certificates regularized under the Electrical Wiring Regulations after taking the certification examination or lose their certification.