The agreement signed on July 29, 2020 between the RES4Africa Foundation (Renewable Energy Solutions for Africa) and the East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE), is a new step headed for the sustainable electrification of rural areas in Africa. Through this document, the EACREEE is providing technical support to RES4Africa Foundation for the development of the Micro-Grid Academy (MGA), a Nairobi-based professional capacity building programme whose mission is to create a skilled and knowledgeable workforce for the deployment of decentralised renewable energy solutions in East Africa and beyond.
Roberto Vigotti, Secretary General of the RES4Africa Foundation said, “We are very proud to collaborate with the EACREEE in promoting the Micro-Grid Academy, a programme that is very important to us. Investing in the vocational training of young Africans is an investment in Africa’s future, and with the EACREEE at our side, we can see that brighter future”.
Mini-Green Networks, a key to hope for rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa. There is growing consensus among development partners that mini green grids are a way to significantly improve access to electricity in rural Africa. These areas, which are home to nearly 63% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa, are the most deprived of electricity, with nearly 90% of the population cut off from the electricity grid.
It is in this framework that the partnership between RES4Africa and the East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE) comes into play. An approach that has goals to develop access to green and cheaper electricity in rural communities, through consolidation the technical capacities of local companies and creating new jobs.
Launched by the RES4Africa Foundation in January 2018, the Micro-Grid Academy has so far trained more than 500 students from the partner states of the East African Community (EAC) as well as Zambia, Ethiopia and Europe. Its new target is to train up to 300 people a year, ranging from community technicians to project managers, developers, engineers and students.