25.02.2025 | News
The Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa (BGFA) has successfully completed the Job creation and skills development sub-programme in Uganda together with its partners. Over 300 participants attended the arranged courses in 2023-2024 to enhance both technical and business skills as well as gender inclusion within the off-grid energy sector to support businesses to scale their operations to increase access to off-grid energy for the rural population in Uganda.
A tailored training programme for BGFA-funded companies in Uganda and other stakeholders developing and selling off-grid energy solutions in Uganda was implemented in 2023-2024, with the aim to increase capacity building. In total, 20 courses related to technical, sales and business skills within the fields of solar home systems and mini-grids were conducted during the period October 2023–October 2024, with the aim to develop and broaden knowledge and skills within the off-grid energy sector and support the creation of jobs and engagement of women in Uganda’s off-grid energy sector. Over 300 participants took part in the courses, of whom 32% were women.
“One of the key priorities for BGFA in Uganda is to enhance knowledge and skills as well as employment within the off-grid energy sector and through this, position Uganda’s workforce as a key driver of growth and sustainability of the country’s off-grid solar market to accelerate the green transition. We are very positive to see that the implemented programme has succeeded in its goals and that, through the programme, we have been able to actively contribute to enhancing skills and improve gender inclusion in the sector,” says Tina Möller, Programme Manager and coordinator of the sub-programme at Nefco.
By initiative from Denmark, supporting, in particular, BGFA’s activities in Uganda, a study to assess the opportunities for increasing job creation in Uganda within the context of the BGFA programme was carried out by Oxford Policy Management in 2021 and the outcome of the study confirmed the need for skills development on several aspects of off-grid energy actors and recommended that a separate sub-programme should be designed. A project team consisting of Renewables Academy (RENAC), Inensus, Sendea UG and USEA was chosen to undertake the design, organisation and provision of the training courses in Uganda. The programme was launched in December 2022 in Kampala, with participation by the programme partners and the BGFA donors Denmark and Sweden.
When carrying out the training, the main focus was on technical skills and on developing business skills, such as project management, financial planning and risk management. This enables the energy service providers to enhance sales and interpersonal skills, such as customer engagement and after-sales support. Equipped with these skills, the companies are better positioned to explore growth opportunities and adopt new business models that can drive their businesses forward.
Gender inclusion has also been a key cornerstone of the whole programme and, as a result, has encouraged women to take on leadership roles in the solar market and actively involved them as trainers and content developers. These efforts are critical for fostering a more inclusive and equitable renewable energy landscape in Uganda.
“The hands-on workshops and in-depth sessions on solar technology applications were the most enlightening aspects of the training. This experience has significantly enhanced my professional endeavours by arming me with practical skills, which I have already utilised in my work role, resulting in more efficient and successful project executions,” explains Eric Adweko, BrightLife Uganda.
The diversity of the participants taking part in the training encouraged sharing of varied perspectives and experiences, enriching the learning environment and building stronger networks within the sector. Such collaborations promote a more integrated and supportive community, crucial for the sustained growth of the off-grid energy sector.
“The participants’ great enthusiasm, good reception of the learning outputs and received certificates as well as the interest of the different stakeholders involved are a clear sign of the programme’s broad appeal and its success in supporting the creation of a strong and diverse workforce in Uganda’s solar industry,” comments Rafael Juan Martí, Project Director and Trainer at RENAC.
Continuous support for the energy service providers will ensure that the skills and knowledge gained are effectively applied, and continued efforts to scale this learning will lead to long-term improvements in performance and outcomes, thus contributing to achieve BGFA’s targets and Uganda’s off-grid electrification goals.
In Uganda, BGFA has contracted nine portfolio companies which will have the potential to reach almost 3 million people in rural Uganda by establishing over 580,000 energy connections. It is also expected that the business growth of the companies will create 1,000 new jobs in the Ugandan off-grid energy sector. The BGFA funding window in Uganda is funded by Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
The training programme focused on the following key components:
- A flexible and tailored approach to cater for the diverse needs and availability of participating companies and individuals, ensuring broad and effective engagement.
- Sector-specific training for the practical application and exploration of new business opportunities with decentralised solar solutions.
- A hands-on learning approach emerged as a crucial element, bridging the gap between theory and practice.
- Inclusivity played a vital role, bringing together diverse participants and a committed gender perspective, which fostered knowledge exchange and broader sector impact.
More information about the implemented Skills development programme:
- Watch a summary video from the training courses in Uganda
- Download a summary of the final outcome report
- Download the study from 2021
For further information, please contact:
Tina Möller, Programme Manager at Nefco
Tina.moller@nefco.int, +358 10 6180 651
Rafael Juan Martí, Project Director and Trainer at Renewables Academy (RENAC) AG
juan@renac.de, +49 (0)30 58 70870 37
About RENAC
The Renewables Academy (RENAC) AG, based in Berlin, is a leading global provider of training and capacity building in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Since 2008, we have empowered nearly 36,000 participants from 178 countries with the expertise needed to drive the transition to clean energy. We believe that knowledge is key to a sustainable and secure energy future. Our programmes for solar energy, wind power, bioenergy, storage, e-mobility, energy efficiency and grids equip professionals from industry, finance, and policy-making with the skills to meet the growing demand for green energy expertise worldwide. Read more at www.renac.de
About BGFA
The Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa (BGFA) is a multi-donor facility established and managed by Nefco – the Nordic Green Bank. Nefco is an international financial institution based in Helsinki, Finland, focusing on environmental and climate investments and fund management. BGFA is implemented by Nefco, with the support of two project implementation partners. NIRAS is a development and engineering consultancy company headquartered in Denmark. The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), an international multilateral partnership based in Vienna, Austria, works to accelerate market-based deployment of renewable energy and energy-efficiency solutions in developing countries.
The EUR 126 million BGFA programme was established in 2019 on Sweden’s initiative through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). It has since been developed by Nefco into a multi-donor programme funded by Denmark through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany through its development bank KfW, Norway through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation Norad and Sweden. Power Africa, an initiative administered by USAID, is providing an in-kind technical assistance contribution. Read more at www.beyondthegrid.africa
Photo: Women attending the Train-the-Trainers programme ‘Women in Solar Business in Uganda’ as part of the implemented sub-programme– Renac for the Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa (BGFA)