AfDB, MASEN and RES4Africa Launches Solar Energy Training Program in Sahel Countries

The African Development Bank (AfDB) group has joined hands with the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) and the Renewable Energy Solutions for Africa (RES4Africa) foundation to provide solar energy training in five Sahelian countries. The recently launched program covers Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.

The training program focuses on energy professionals and policymakers. It is divided into two stages; the first one is an institutional training course in June-July and the second stage comprises a vocational mini-grid training course in September-October.

Daniel Schroth, AfDB’s Director of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, said, the training program is pertinent to every aspect of the solar energy value chain and landscape, from utility-scale to decentralized uses. Building adequate capacity for solar power generation projects in the Sahel countries will help to accelerate the energy transition in the region.

Ali Zerouali, MASEN’s Cooperation and International Development Head commented, “MASEN appreciates the start of this training collaboration. In line with the objectives of the Coalition for Sustainable Energy Access to contribute to the achievement of SDG7 by 2030, Sahel countries, in particular, will capitalize on this dedicated training program to increase their own capabilities in order to accelerate their energy transition leaving no one behind for the inclusive social and economic development.”

According to Roberto Vigotti, Secretary-General of RES4Africa, the mutual experience of our partner organizations exhibits the real value of capacity building to create markets, overcome barriers, and develop skills & opportunities for the long term. RES4Africa aims to contribute to the bright future of solar energy in the Sahel region.

The Sahel region is at the heart of a large-scale energy infrastructure deployment program called Desert to Power. Launched by AfDB, the renewable energy, and economic development program aims at deploying solar energy solutions in the Sahel countries. The program will help build an electricity generation capacity of 10,000 MW through solar energy systems, strengthening the transmission network and revitalizing national electricity companies.