The Federal Government of Nigeria has disclosed a significant shortfall in the skilled workforce required to operate the nation’s power sector effectively, particularly in renewable energy.
According to Ahmed Nagode, Director-General of the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), the country currently lacks about 50% of the skilled personnel needed to meet the sector’s demands.
Nagode made this announcement at the launch of the Next Gen RESCO Programme, a collaborative initiative by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), NAPTIN, and Eco-Innovation Empowerment Initiatives aimed at empowering youth in renewable energy. The event, themed “Empowering Future Leaders in Renewable Energy,” highlighted the urgent need to bridge the skills gap among Nigerian youths to support the evolving energy landscape.
“This tripartite collaboration is carefully structured to identify, train, and empower youths with the requisite skills to thrive in the renewable energy sector,” Nagode explained. He stressed that the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda for job creation and economic growth, leveraging Nigeria’s youthful population as a transformative force.
Nagode pointed out the disparity between academic qualifications and practical skills, noting, “There is a difference between academic qualifications and the skills needed to operate the power network. That is the void NAPTIN was created to fill, especially in the renewable energy space.” He emphasized four key training areas: solar photovoltaic installation and maintenance, solar PV supervision, mini-grid design, and energy efficiency.
The DG also raised concerns about the sustainability of solar infrastructure, citing widespread solar streetlights in Abuja that risk failure within five years without proper maintenance. He urged stakeholders to prioritize local content development to reduce reliance on foreign expertise.
REA’s Managing Director, Abba Aliyu, added that Nigeria currently has about 70,000 jobs in renewable energy but needs thousands more to close the energy access gap. “Thanks to deliberate policies by Mr President, Nigeria now has a 600-megawatt photovoltaic panel manufacturing capacity, a capacity that did not exist before his administration,” Aliyu noted.
The Next Gen Programme will train 120 graduates through a paid three-month classroom course at NAPTIN, followed by a one-month internship with Renewable Energy Service Companies, with top performers receiving job offers. This initiative marks Nigeria’s first public-private talent pipeline for renewable energy, aiming to create 10,000 additional jobs in the sector in the coming years.
