Louis Casely-Hayford (13 July 1936 – 24 November 2014)[1] was a Ghanaian chartered engineer who served as the third CEO[2] of the Volta River Authority (VRA) from 1980 to 1991.

On 25 October 1962, after returning to Ghana, Casely-Hayford joined the Volta River Authority (VRA) as a Mechanical Engineer.

He accumulated a lot of knowledge and experience by travelling to many power installations worldwide, including visits to the Hitachi Works in Japan in 1969 and the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation in Australia in 1976 to review the draft feasibility study report on the Bui Hydro Electric Project.

[2] He was on attachment to Ontario Hydro, Canada, in 1964 and again in 1978, where he participated in the Final Report of the Power Equipment Review Board of the Volta River Authority.

He also travelled on various assignments to Belgium, Benin, France, Great Britain, Italy, Kenya, Kuwait, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Switzerland.

Through his leadership effort, VRA was able to secure the latest Apple Macintosh computer of the day to facilitate production of the maiden edition of the newsletter in the institution and thereafter maintained an enviable position as one of the lead adopters of information technology systems in Ghana.

He was also disturbed by the squalid conditions of those who lived in the unplanned slum area, called "combine", which had developed at the entrance to Akosombo.

Beyond the VRA world, his sense of corporate social responsibility was exemplified by his inputs to the development of the Medical Services and the Akosombo International School, among other initiatives.

In addition to his role at the VRA, Casely-Hayford served the nation in various capacities such as a member of the Government Technical Advisory Committee on Energy (1979), the Ghana Tourist Development Company, Government Committee for the renegotiation of the Volta Master Agreement and simultaneously the National Energy Board (1985–89).

In fact, there are quite a lot of Ghanaians currently holding important positions both in the private and public sectors who considered Louis as their main mentor.

In recognition of his various contributions to Ghana, he was presented with a Certificate of Honour in 1987 on the occasion of the 50th Year Reign of Odeneho Kwafo Akoto II, KMC.

In 2011, the VRA presented him with an Award of Merit on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary for his significant contribution to the implementation of the Akosombo Project and operation of the Power facilities.