By Maimuna Sey-Jawo
The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) under the UNIDO/GEF 5 project on Friday completed a five-day training of trainers (ToT) on renewable energy training modules for vocational and higher education students in The Gambia.
Entitled Greening the productive sectors in the Gambia: promoting the use and integration of small-to- medium scale renewable energy systems in the productive sectors, the project is being funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and being implemented by the petroleum ministry through its project management office (PMO).
The objective of the project is to develop a comprehensive curricula with relevant training materials to strengthen technical capacity of students in senior secondary schools, vocational training institutions and higher education institutions such as Gambia Technical Training Institute and University of the Gambia.
Students who took part in the training were exposed to topics such as designing and maintenance of renewable energy and technologies.
Jankey Jassey, a participant, described the training as “very useful”. She said they have learnt how to install solar systems in homes and in other institutions, thanking the ministry and partners for boosting their knowledge.
Doudou Trawalley, GEF’s operational focal person, challenged the participants to use the knowledge gained wisely. He challenged them to work to create their own projects and partner government institutions.
Director of energy at the Ministry of Peroleum and Energy, Kemo Ceesay, said the purpose of the project is to increase the knowledge and technical skills of people in the country.
“The project came to address challenges. Remember, we have limited potential in wind energy and biogas,” he said.
