By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The concluding leg of the ENERGIZE! Career Fair for the clean energy sector in Nigeria was held on Tuesday in Abuja. The fair, first of its kind, was organised by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Associations – Alliance (REEEA-A), the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) within the framework of the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP).
The programme aimed at establishing an employability platform where professionals and RE/EE actors (potential employers which includes Developers, Discos, Development Cooperation etc.) can easily collaborate while boosting employment opportunities to bridge the skills gap in the sector.
During the fair Human resources advisory was provided by foremost consultants, Phillips Consulting Limited (pcl.) and West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE), a social venture focused on screening, training, and placing local talents.
In a keynote address, the Minister of Power, Abubakar ALIYU, represented by the Director, Renewable and Rural Power Access, Engr. Abubakar Ali-Dapshima said, “Given the need for vetted, competent manpower to drive the energy goals in the sector, FMP is happy to reaffirm its commitment to support capacity development within the sector, through participation and support of this job fair initiative in the sector.”
Delivering the welcome address, the REEEA-A Steering Committee, represented by Dr. Aminu ISA, emphasised the shortage of manpower to support development projects in the sector.
“With an estimated need of over 30,000 jobs to drive energy innovations effectively and efficiently in the country, we need to do more to identify the best talents and support them to find opportunities best suited their skillset. This is one of the core objectives of the Alliance,” he said.
In a goodwill message, the Head of Section, Green and Digital Economy at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Inga STEFANOWICZ, said: “In addition to supporting youth empowerment and job creation in Nigeria, the EU is very active in supporting the unlocking of financing that will help to further strengthen investments in the RE and EE sector. This will be crucial in creating even more opportunities for work and innovation in the sector,” she stated.
The Head of Programme, NESP, Mr. Duke Benjamin, represented by Mr. Olumide Fatoki, Head of Unit, Sustainable Energy Access NESP said: “In its second phase, NESP has intensified its efforts to scale capacity development in the RE and EE sector.
The Energize! career fair adds to a growing list of trainings, certification schemes and skills-matching efforts which we have developed and implemented with the support of our partners and commissioning parties.”
The pilot scheme, which kicked off in Lagos last week, was conceived to connect professionals in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector with quality opportunities in the sector.
Over 300 professionals and 25 companies participated in both the Lagos and Abuja legs of the fair which also provided additional 500 virtual participants.
