KenGen Geothermal Training Centre has continuously increased enrolment of regional students in various programmes intended to meet skill needs of priority sector of power and energy. This month, KenGen, collaborated with GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme under the auspices of UNESCO, and GDC Kenya to hold the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Short Course VII on Exploration and Development of Geothermal Resources. The short course officially started on November 20, 2023, in a colourful ceremony at Naivasha.
The ceremony marked the commencement of the second phase of the training programme after the completion of the first part, which covered fieldwork in the Baringo-Silali and Menengai Geothermal Projects. The second phase includes lectures and practical sessions at KenGen’s Olkaria Geothermal Project.
This program has progressively grown geothermal experts in the region since its inception in 2005. This year’s training programme has attracted 44 participants from 13 countries with 40 percent of the enrolment being female students. The nations represented include Comoros, Djibouti, DRC, Eretria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The diversity in culture and race provides an opportunity for the participants to learn from each other’s experiences and background even as they network with professionals in the region and globally.
Since 2016 the programme now runs under Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals to transform our world. They were designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all” and part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They were agreed upon by 193 countries in September 2015. One of the key goals among the 17 SDGs is Goal 7, which aims to ensure access to affordable, clean, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by the year 2030.
Speaking during the event, Eng. Evans Bett who was representing KenGen MD & CEO, reiterated the importance of the short course towards the realization of the United Nations, sustainable development goals through the development of geothermal energy. ‘‘For Africa to harness the enormous geothermal potential, we must build capacity in exploration and development. Africa is endowed with geothermal resources that is yet to be harnessed fully. The East African Rift System is endowed with geothermal energy resource potential of about 20 GW that can be used for power generation and direct use application. Despite this potential, exploitation is still very low. Only Kenya and to a lesser extent Ethiopia have exploited this resource to a significant degree’’ he said.
Through this partnership, KenGen Geothermal Training Centre will achieve 100% on regional students’ enrolment which is one the EASTRIP DLI’s. The Centre will also develop experts with adequate knowledge and skill on basic geothermal science and technology to work on geothermal projects in respective countries.
By Anne Sunkuyia, Senior Information Scientist, KenGen Geothermal Training Centre
