From DION HENRICK in Cape Town
CAPE TOWN – EMPOWERING youth committed to solving the continent’s energy challenges will highlight the African Utility Week in Cape Town in May.
Africa Internship Academy (AIA) will launch the programme in the South African city under the aegis of the Young Energy and Power Professionals (YEPP).
“Youth unemployment on the continent is a major epidemic and internship opportunities are an amazing solution to help maximize human capital development on the continent” says Daniel Antwi, co-founder of AIA.
He points out skills constraint is a major contributing factor to youth unemployment.
“Again, many young graduates find it very difficult to move out and become job makers in the market,” says Antwi.
“Therefore, Africa Internship Academy stands to facilitate successful transition from academia to industry by ensuring that the skills of youth are honed early enough to match the labour market demands.”
YEPP will bring together graduates to learn from each other, access thought leadership, conduct research to broaden their understanding of power and energy issues, raise funding for future solutions and further their career ambitions.
“There is a lot of room for young people in the utility sector as long as they get the right skills to navigate” says Antwi.
At the 17th African Utility Week, 30 top power and energy students/graduates across Africa will be invited to the event, have complimentary access and attend a networking function co-hosted with AIA.
The summit is the leading conference and trade exhibition for African power, energy and water professionals.
From the May 16-18, it will gather over 7 000 decision makers from more than 40 countries to source latest solutions from over 300 suppliers.
There will be 300 expert speakers.
– CAJ News