Train women and young people for the energy transition in Africa. This is the goal of the Enel Foundation and the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) organization which have just concluded a partnership on the occasion of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) which is held in Glasgow in Scotland. Through this initiative, the two organizations want to contribute to the energy transition in Africa.
The partnership will be implemented under the banner of the Open Africa Power program already implemented by the Enel Foundation for 4 years. According to this organization created under the auspices of the Italian energy company Enel, Open Africa Power has already supported 90 professional interns in 28 African countries. The new expanded program will also build on the Women at the Forefront program.
Training the leaders of tomorrow
This SEforALL initiative supports women in the clean energy sector through technical training and mentoring. “SEforALL recently sponsored 100 women to receive technical training in solar system design and installation and energy management from the Strathmore University Energy Research Center in Nairobi, Kenya,” says the Vienna, Austria-based organization.
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Co-managed by the Enel Foundation and SEforALL, Open Africa Power will build the capacity of youth and women through mentorships and internships in addition to technical training. In addition to training, the two organizations aim, through their partnership, to develop the leadership of women and youth in the energy sector.
An ambition that will only be achieved by avoiding brain drain. This is why the two organizations will extend their partnership to provide further opportunities to African youth and women. This segment of the population, being the most affected by energy deficits and the climate crisis, “it is important to create opportunities for women and youth to participate and take the lead in solutions that will create a more sustainable and equitable energy future,” says Damilola Ogunbiyi, the Executive Director of Sustainable Energy for All, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) for Sustainable Energy for All and the Co-Chair of UN-Energy
Jean Marie Takouleu