Episode 5 – Building skills, building the future

The Empower Transition – Insights from Our Members series continues with a new contribution from one of the leading voices of RES4Africa’s community.

In Episode 5, Giulia Genuardi, Managing Director  of Enel Foundation, reflects on the importance of human capital, knowledge and local expertise in advancing Africa’s energy transition, and on the role of partnerships in building the skills and leadership needed to drive this transformation.

At the heart of this approach is a clear conviction: developing human capital requires time, continuity and vision — and ultimately determines the success of every energy policy and investment.

"Over the past few years, Africa has evolved from being viewed as one of the major challenges of global development to becoming one of the key protagonists of the global energy transition.

Alongside investments in infrastructure, grids, and technologies, it has become increasingly clear that there is another investment that is just as critical: investment in people.

It is from this conviction that, over the last two years, Enel Foundation has redefined its role. We have chosen to evolve from being providers of training programmes to becoming builders of a knowledge ecosystem that connects universities, institutions, businesses, and public decision-makers, with the goal of supporting the emergence of a new generation of African leaders in the energy transition.

We have not simply built training programmes. We have built partnerships.

Perhaps this is the most distinctive element of our journey. Every initiative begins with listening to local needs and collaborating with African universities that are not merely host institutions, but true strategic partners in programme design, knowledge generation, and the development of future leadership.

This approach gave rise to our regional hubs, conceived as multi-functional centres dedicated to managerial and technical training, applied research, and entrepreneurship support in the field of the energy transition. Developed by Enel Foundation and RES4Africa in partnership with some of Africa’s most prestigious universities, these initiatives aim to create ecosystems of expertise capable of addressing the specific needs of different regional contexts while supporting the sustainable development of the continent’s energy sector. Originating in Morocco, the model has progressively expanded across Eastern and Southern Africa, creating an integrated network of centres of excellence that today connects education, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship throughout the African continent.

The experience gained through these hubs has reinforced a belief that has always guided our work: investing in skills means investing in the institutions that generate them. This is why partnerships with local universities are essential to building programmes that are rooted in local realities, sustainable over time, and capable of creating value well beyond the lifespan of individual initiatives.

Today, these hubs are no longer isolated realities. They are nodes within a growing African knowledge network, connecting expertise, experiences, and leadership from diverse geographic regions that share common challenges. It is a network strengthened through collaboration with RES4Africa and an ever-growing number of institutional, industrial, and academic partners.

Over the past two years, we have had the privilege of working with hundreds of public officials, regulators, researchers, young professionals, and entrepreneurs from dozens of African countries. Beyond the numbers, what stands out most is the quality of the relationships that have emerged. Education delivers its greatest impact when it becomes a community, when it fosters trust, and when it builds networks of collaboration designed to last.

This experience has confirmed a simple but fundamental conviction: developing human capital requires time, continuity, and vision. Yet it is human capital that ultimately determines the success of every energy policy and every investment.

For this reason, the recent signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Enel Foundation and the Mission Structure for the Implementation of the Mattei Plan of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers does not represent a destination, but rather the beginning of a new phase. The true value of this agreement lies in its ability to build upon an already consolidated body of experience, strengthening the dialogue between Italy and Africa through one of the most effective tools of international cooperation: education.

The Mattei Plan identifies the development of equal partnerships, the enhancement of local expertise, and shared growth among its foundational principles. These are the same principles that have guided Enel Foundation’s work over the years. For this reason, the Memorandum is not only a recognition of the journey completed so far; it is above all an opportunity to expand the network of hubs, strengthen collaboration with African universities, and increase the number of young leaders who will contribute to the continent’s energy transformation.

The success of the energy transition will ultimately depend on our ability to equip women and men with the knowledge, responsibility, and vision needed to lead this transformation.

Today more than ever, this is the most important investment we can make together."