…To train about 2,750 people from Nigerian universities
PNN, a leading pan-African technology service provider in the development of communications and power sectors in Africa, has entered into partnership with the National Universities Commission (NUC), to undertake a train-the-trainer scheme to develop university personnel for the renewable energy sector.

The programme was developed by PNN in conjunction with the NUC in response to the federal government’s plan to produce 40,000MW of electricity in Nigeria, with at least 10% of the power coming from renewable energy sources.

Under the terms, 25 staff from each national university will be invited to participate in the training programme, also facilitated by the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), and the Renewable Energy Technology Institute (RETI), over the next four years.

The Chief Executive of PNN, Otunba AbdulRahman Abiola-Odunowo, noted that the renewable energy sector in Nigeria has suffered from a lack of technical skill and value in service delivery, hence the decision by his firm to develop this training scheme.

“What PNN and NUC aim to do with the train-the-trainer programme is fill the gaps in skills acquisition and delivery, such that we are able to transfer knowledge to university lecturers throughout Nigeria, which can then be passed on in a structured, systematic way to the men and women who will work directly in the green energy sector” he said.

PNN is an official development partner of the Federal Ministry of Environment’s Renewable Energy Programme, and is one of the pioneers of the development of the renewable energy sector in Nigeria. “As an FGN-approved renewable energy partner, we are making sure the train-the-trainer programme falls in line with the capacity building efforts of the federal government for the burgeoning renewables sector,” said Abiola-Odunowo. He added that it will prepare Nigerian lecturers and others to support a massive drive for personnel training throughout the country.