In partnership with the European Investment Bank, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Enel Foundation, the training involved 300 high-level participants from 34 African countries, who benefitted from lectures on the economic, environmental and regulatory frameworks related to Africa’s energy transition

Rome, 6th of April 2022 – With today’s final session, RES4Africa Foundation successfully carried out the 8th edition of the Advanced Training Course (ATC), the well-established flagship capacity building initiative dedicated to institutional profiles, high-level managers and other professionals operating in the African RE sector. The training relied this year on the new active support by the European Investment Bank, in addition to the long-lasting partnership with Enel Foundation.

The main aim of the ATC is to enhance local ownership of sustainable projects, opening new REs-related job opportunities and improving local skills. This goal was pursued by holding 17 digital appointments, which were inaugurated on the 24th of November, and held once a week. 

Every week the students were provided with frontal lectures, analyses of case studies and best practices, which gave a comprehensive overview of the main topics related to Africa’s energy transition: from energy management, to project bankability and finance, from grids and electricity infrastructures to access to energy. The learning path was complemented by specific thematic days, such as the one dedicated to the EIB’s operations and activities, or to RES4Africa’s initiatives such as renewAfrica or the Missing Link. All lessons are delivered by experienced managers, professionals, academics and high-skilled technicians from RES4Africa’s network. 

The beneficiaries of the training were 300 African professionals belonging to the aforementioned categories, and representing 34 African countries (Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Congo, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Libya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Morocco, Malawi, Mali, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe).

The ATC has been recognized as a pivotal activity for the creation of local middle and managerial workforce, to the point that the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) stepped in as a financier, and with which a new activity will start in September 2022. 

"I am proud of another ATC edition brilliantly carried out" said Roberto Vigotti, RES4Africa’s Foundation Secretary General. "Every effort we make to provide first-quality capacity building is well spent, as Africa’s energy transition can be truly unleashed only by a managerial class of skilful and motivated professionals. My gratitude goes to the European Investment Bank, Enel Foundation, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all our members and partners, for providing their irreplaceable support and knowledge to our training". 

"Italy pursues stability, security and development in Africa through a holistic and people-to-people approach to civil society and institutions, whose capacity building is a central pillar. Investing in training in crucial sectors like RE was a clear message from the 3rd Italy-Africa conference last October, as a way of strengthening our strategic partnership with the Continent. We did it and we’ll keep on supporting similar fertile initiatives to the benefit of African countries" said Fabrizio Lobasso, Deputy Director for Subsaharan Africa at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

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