Open Africa Power is creating the African energy leaders of the future. Its second edition starts today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The project aims to provide high-profile training to college graduates. It offers vertical disciplinary knowledge of the energy field, from technical aspects to more strictly practical topics.
The course is designed for the most deserving Master’s and PhD students in engineering, law and economics from several African universities.
The Open Africa Power project is led by the Enel Foundation, in cooperation with Strathmore University, the University of Addis Ababa, the Polytechnic University of Turin, the Polytechnic University of Milan, Bocconi University and the Florence School of Regulation.
Lots of New Features for 2019
Last year, the first edition of Open Africa Power chose 29 students to participate from 140 applicants, and was held at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya.
This year, those numbers have doubled: 60 graduates, a third of which are female, selected from over 400 applications. The second edition will be held at the University of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, an implementing partner for the 2019 edition.
Open Africa Power’s students for 2019 hail from more than 16 African countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Algeria, Mauritius, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Tanzania, Rwanda, Egypt, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ghana, South Africa and Cameroon.
The 6-month training program, divided into 4 learning modules, remains the same. The first involves classroom lessons in Ethiopia while the second is dedicated to e-learning. The third step is a 2-week tour in Italy, visiting strategic locations for the Group’s business, and is followed by a closing ceremony.
The first edition concluded at the RES4Med&Africa Annual Conference. There, the publication “Unlocking Value from Sustainable Renewable Energy”, prepared by the Association and the Enel Foundation, was presented. Several initiatives related to this capacity building program, including the publication of “Open Africa”, a photo and documentary online book produced in collaboration with RES4Med&Africa.
New Energy for Africa
Enel Green Power is a leading renewable energy operator in Africa and is committed to the continent’s sustainable development. Africa has the world’s highest growth rate and will require more and more energy in the future.
This kind of energy can be supplied, above all, through the training of local people who can oversee all the stages of the plant construction value chain, from design and construction to maintenance.
For Enel Green Power, initiatives like Open Africa Power are a chance to ensure job opportunities for young Africans as well as to enhance its own teams with brilliant professionals.