The Volta River Authority (VRA), led by Board Chairman Jabesh Amissah-Arthur and Acting Chief Executive, Edward E. Obeng-Kenzo, has paid glowing tribute to one of Ghana’s most revered energy sector pioneers, Erasmus Alexander Kwabla Kalitsi.
A solemn and spirit-filled burial service was held on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at the Garrison Methodist Presbyterian Church Burma Camp in Accra, where past and present staff of the Authority gathered in large numbers to honour the life and legacy of the former Chief Executive and Board Chairman.
Mr Kalitsi, who died at age 95, was later laid to rest in a family cemetery in Woe, Keta Municipality, in the Volta Region.
The service was marked by heartfelt tributes, with VRA describing him as a “towering figure” and a “visionary architect” of Ghana’s energy infrastructure.
Deputy Chief Executive, Samuel Kwesi Fletcher, who read the tribute on behalf of management and staff, recalled Mr Kalitsi’s decades-long contributions to the Authority and the nation.
“Your strategic vision and unwavering commitment to excellence inspired us all,” the tribute read. “You began your public service in 1955, working with the Development Commission during the planning phase of the Volta Project, which later evolved into the VRA. You were among the first staff of the Authority, bearing the staff number 003 when VRA was formally established in 1961.”
Mr Kalitsi served as Chief Resettlement Officer in 1963, overseeing the delicate task of relocating more than 80,000 people from 700 villages displaced by the creation of the Volta Lake. By 1966, he had risen to Director of Finance, securing funds for the expansion of the Akosombo Dam and managing the Authority’s finances.
In 1971, at the age of 41, he became Deputy Chief Executive, leading several transformative initiatives, including the development of water transport on the Volta Lake and managing the dam’s socio-economic and environmental impacts.
After a period with the World Bank in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s, Mr Kalitsi returned to Ghana as Managing Director of the then Electricity Corporation of Ghana (ECG), where he pushed for operational reforms and cost-reflective tariffs. In 1991, he was appointed Chief Executive of VRA, becoming one of the few non-engineers to hold the position. He later served as Chairman of the Governing Board from 1998.
Under his stewardship, VRA expanded its generation capacity, introduced private sector participation through a joint venture with CMS Energy of the USA, pioneered regional grid interconnections, and oversaw the retrofitting of the Akosombo Generating Station and the development of Ghana’s first major thermal plant at Aboadze.
“Your contributions went beyond infrastructure,” the tribute noted. “You were a man of integrity, intellect, and humility. Your leadership style and institutional memory made you a legendary figure within our organisation.”
Mr Kalitsi’s national and international accolades include the Grand Medal of Ghana (1978), Honorary Fellowship of the Ghana Institution of Engineers (2000), the “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mono” from Benin, and Italy’s “Cavaliere del Lavoro”. In 2019, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Ghana Energy Awards, and in 2021, the VRA unveiled a life-sized bust in his honour at Akosombo.
With over five decades of public service, Mr Kalitsi was a living archive of the VRA’s evolution, offering invaluable guidance to successive generations. “Amega Kalitsi, you were a strong tower of the VRA,” the tribute said. “Though you have crossed the veil, your legacy and vision will continue to inspire.”
The VRA extended its deepest condolences to his widow, family, friends, and all who had the privilege to know and work with him.
Present were, Albert Kan-Dapaah, the immediate past Minister of National Security; Odeneho Akwafo Akoto III, the Akwamuhene among others.
