The Foundation for Partnership initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND Foundation) has signed a partnership agreement with Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to train 200 youth in Edo State youth on renewable energy.
Aimed at improving income generating employment opportunities for the young women and men in the state, the course is designed to give participants the knowledge and tools to install, operate and maintain small to medium solar photovoltaic (PV) technology solutions and projects.
Solar PV system is a type of renewable energy system that uses panels which collects the sunlight and turn it into electricity. It is a very reliable and clean source of electricity that can suit a wide range of applications such as residence, industry, agriculture, livestock and so on.
According to PIND’s Knowledge Systems and Communications Manager, Chichi Nnoham-Onyejekwe, “the certified professional training will focus on the technological aspects of both developments, as well as the business models by developing inclusive business models that can support job creation, entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation in an innovative and economically sustainable way”.
The target group for the two-week professional training will be workforce between ages 15-35 with at least some technical experience around electrical and allied installations.
The GIZ Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE) targets the unemployed or underemployed young women and men to help remedy excessive migration to other industrialized countries. Through the training, implementing organizations will keep promoting needs-based Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Youth Employment in Nigeria.
PIND will run a training and qualification scheme to enable youth to access opportunities offered by the operative energy demands of construction and allied sector within Edo State. Through this partnership, GIZ, PIND and Edo State Government (Edo Jobs) will satisfy these growing demands effectively by joining the best capabilities from each organization.
“We believe PIND will unlock the potentials to create value among the youths and push the limits of today’s renewable energy technology for economic development. We are excited to announce our partnership to boost youth employment and job creation in Edo State” said Stephen Agwu, the SKYE Advisor at GIZ in Abuja.
Nigeria is listed among the 25 countries with the lowest ratings for quality education in the 2017/2018 Global Competitiveness Index. While this is not unconnected to lack of a well-trained labor force which restrained growth in potentially lucrative value chains, the need to equip the teeming youth with functional market-relevant skills for paid employment or entrepreneurship remains crucial.
Nnoham-Onyejekwe added that “transformational projects such as this remains priority for PIND in the nine Niger Delta States, and we are delighted to partner with GIZ to further build human capacities in renewable energy. With similar collaborative opportunities, PIND will replicate this intervention across board”.
PIND is a Nigerian non-profit organization established by Chevron to promote economic development and peace through partnerships in the Niger Delta. PIND’s Appropriate Technology Enabled Development (ATED) Centre has been at the forefront of creating and showcasing working examples of technologies that reduce energy consumption, recycle waste, and provide alternatives to traditional power sources in the Niger Delta region.
