Skills for Energy in Zambia and Southern Africa (SESA)

Project Summary Background This Skills for Energy in Southern Africa (SESA) intervention is a Public-Private Development Partnership (PPDP) that enables a transfer of technical skills from international and local energy companies to power technicians and managers in Southern Africa through SADC’s Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre (KGRTC) in Zambia. The project focus is on contributing to SDG 7 by responding to the power industry’s needs for skills development in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency and regional energy integration, but also to SDG 4 on skills and training, and SDG 8 on sustainable economic growth, productive employment and decent work. The expected impact is an increased uptake of renewable energy, energy efficiency and regional energy integration interventions in Southern Africa, leading to a more sustainable use of energy and low carbon energy mix. The three-year ILO project is facilitating partnerships between KGRTC and the private sector by strengthen KGRTC’s capacity to enable it to be perceived as – a Centre of Excellence for energy training in the region and will result in a significantly higher number of power technicians, engineers and managers that are skilled in, and able to apply, up-to-date technologies in renewable energy, energy efficiency and regional energy integration. Problem Analysis This PPDP addresses only one of the many factors (shortage of current skills) that contribute to the insufficient supply of sustainable energy in the region. By contributing, through Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre, to more technicians, engineers and managers in Southern Africa’s power industry being up to date with the rapidly evolving field of RE/EE/REI technologies through skills development and capacity building, this PPDP complements what a range of other development agencies and investors are engaged in. The PPDP enables KGRTC to take the opportunities provided by the growing energy demand, the investments and the enabling policy environment for sustainable power generation and distribution, by strengthening its institutional capacity for quality training of new target groups, its marketing and communications, and its collaborative partnerships with the private sector. Lessons learnt from Pilot Phase The pilot project demonstrated that international companies have an interest in collaborating with KGRTC and the ILO for skills transfer in the areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency. The number of companies interested have exceeded expectations but the time it takes to conclude agreements and embark on concrete collaboration, is likely to take longer than expected. Nevertheless, the experience from the pilot phase demonstrates that the PPDP approach to renewable energy and energy efficiency skills transfer is appropriate for sharing private sector expertise and for mobilizing additional in-kind funding. Beneficiaries The direct beneficiaries of this SESA partnership are KGRTC, and public and private players in the RE/EE/REI sub-sectors in Southern Africa. Since the PPDP is mainly focussing on training and skills transfer, the direct beneficiaries are those persons active along the value chain of RE, EE and REI in the sub-region from both the public and private sectors, including the workers’ and employers’ representative organisations. KGRTC and its staff will benefit from the ITCILO capacity building programme that will be implemented during the project period. The PPDP will be implemented based on the concept of equity and inclusion approach that values the diversity among both men and women. KGRTC’s current clients in Southern Africa will be the initial catchment market for recruitment and enrolment of participants. Proactive communication, targeting and marketing of SESA is expected to broaden KGRTC’s enrolment by reaching new markets. Public sector Government institutions, departments and power utilities operating in the RE/EE/REI sectors are some of SESA’s direct

Project symbol

RAF/20/04/SWE

Admin unit

CO-Lusaka

Start date

27/11/2020

End date

31/12/2024

Total allocation

4075753

Total expenditure

Status

Active

4075753

Development Partners

Sweden, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

Country/Countries

Zambia

Outcomes

Outcome 3: Full and productive employment for just transitions