Ashish Khanna To Take Charge As 3rd DG at ISA

The seventh session of the ISA Assembly in progress in New Delhi has selected Ashish Khanna from India as its third Director General. The other office candidates included Wisdom Ahiataku —Togobo from Ghana and Gosaye Mengistie Abayneh from Ethiopia. Khanna, currently working as the head of the World Bank’s west and Central Africa programme, will succeed Dr Ajay Mathur, who will lead the org till March next year.

The Director General of ISA plays a crucial role in supporting the Assembly in advancing the International Solar Alliance mandate. This includes supporting to Member Countries in addressing common challenges and engaging in coordinated action to scale up the deployment of solar energy globally.

The outgoing Director General, Dr Ajay Mathur, wishing his successor luck, said, “As I step down from my role, I want to take a moment to welcome Mr Ashish Khanna to this incredible journey ahead warmly. Serving in this position has been an honour, and I am confident you will bring unique energy, vision, and passion to this office and role. Your leadership will undoubtedly steer this Alliance to new heights, building on the progress achieved while carving your legacy. The challenges ahead are great, but so are the opportunities. My simple advice is to trust your intuition, lean on the support around you, and know that you have the skills to make a lasting impact. I wish you the very best as you begin this new chapter.”

As part of the selection process, the three candidates presented to the ISA Member Country representatives, focusing on their vision for a solar energy-dominant world and the role of the Alliance.

Ashish Khanna, Director General – Designate, ISA, expounding on his plans for expanding ISA’s reach and impact, said the focus has to shift from ‘what’ to ‘how’ as most countries are aware of what needs to be done, but require assistance in reaching those goals. He added that the Alliance will benefit from participating in international fora, where the motivation should be twofold: to explore collaborations, work together, and learn from each other’s experiences. Moving forward, he said he looks forward to building on what is working well and grooming existing partnerships, and he stressed purity of intent and passion for results.”

Under Dr Mathur, the Alliance has achieved significant milestones, including a significant rise in Member & Signatory Countries tallying at 103 and 17, respectively, the completion and launch of demonstration projects, and the successful identification of 50 start-ups with potential to dynamise their countries’ journey towards solar energy.

Speaking of his legacy, Dr Mathur noted, “I would like to be remembered as the Director General who provided some degree of direction for the globalisation of solar energies while in office at the Alliance.”