Experts from the SHINE partnership spent a week in Uganda to explore the solar industry landscape, engage with policymakers and key players, and conduct insightful discussions with VET managers, trainers, and students. Their aim was to gather comprehensive insights and formulate a national roadmap for greening TVET in the solar industry.
On June 4th 2024, representatives from the SHINE partnership touched down in Kampala for a week-long journey delving into the Ugandan context. Through engaging debates, intensive working sessions, interviews, and company visits, they aimed to grasp the state-of-the-art and the current trends of the solar energy sector in Uganda: understanding the training needs of companies, regional and national strategies in the sector, existing educational offereing, and their shortcomings.
The team was composed by representatives from education, business, research, and government from Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Ghana and Nigeria together with the local partners from Kiryandongo Tehcnical Institute and Huys Link Community Initiative, the two organizations who are leading the project in the country.
The agenda included some days in Kampala, interviewing policy makers such as the Commissioner of Energy and Minerals and the Commissioner of TVET from the Ministry of Education, who explained the current actions undertaken at a national level to promote the energy transition and the importance of solar energy in the country together with the training needs and strategies conceived at a educational level.
Many other insightful debates and discussions took place, including company visits, multistakeholder dialogues with international players at the EU delegation facilities, and talks with research departments at Makerere University and various associations of energy and solar entrepreneurs.
In order to get a deeper understanding of the country, the team spent two days in Kiryandongo district, exploring two VET schools and understanding the context of the energy access, training needs and industry presence far from the capital.
The week culminated in the collection of conclusions and the drafting of a roadmap, soon to be ready for key stakeholders.
This roadmap will shape the teacher training program and curriculum to be developed and piloted as the main outcomes of this project.
Key conclusions reached by the team were:
- Uganda is among the fastest growing countries in the world. Maintaining this pace of growth would amount to an economic transformation for the country. Uganda is still a low-income country, with a GDP per capita 40% below the sub- Saharan Africa average. However, in the last two decades, real GDP has grown by around 6% annually.
2. There is a good enabling environment: Uganda has set an ambitious agenda to develop its substantial energy and mineral resources, promote economic development, end energy poverty, and lead the country to a just energy transition.
Uganda’s stated objective in Vision 2040 is to transform into “a modern and prosperous country”, ensuring a better future for its citizens. The energy sector will play an important role in helping Uganda achieve this. Abundant energy resources provide significant opportunities, too. Almost all of Uganda’s electricity is generated from renewables, and substantial hydropower and solar resources remain untapped. As key factors of the enabling environment:
- Energy Transition Plan (ETP): Uganda has eveloped a strategic roadmap for the development and modernisation of Uganda’s energy sector. It charts an ambitious, yet feasible pathway to achieve universal access to modern energy and power the country’s economic transformation in a sustainable and secure way.
- Supportive Policies: Government policies promoting solar energy and TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) are creating a favorable environment for growth.
- Advocacy: Research institutes, companies, and sector associations are actively advocating for solar energy, raising awareness, and creating employment and training opportunities.
3. There is a huge potential in the sector and a need for solar energy: The discussions highlighted the vast potential for solar energy in Uganda, particularly in rural areas where access to electricity remains limited. The adoption of solar energy could significantly improve the quality of life and economic opportunities for these communities.
Yet there are still some barriers that are harnessing the full potential of the solar energy transition in the country:
- Skills Mismatches: There is a gap between the skills provided by current educational programs and the needs of the solar energy industry.
- Lack of Skilled Trainers: There is a shortage of qualified trainers to educate the next generation of solar energy professionals.
- Financial Constraints: The high initial costs of solar installations and limited access to financing options hinder widespread adoption.
- Regulatory Issues: Existing regulations and policies may not be conducive to the rapid expansion of the solar energy sector.
- Outdated Curricula: Educational programs need to be updated to reflect the latest advancements and practices in solar technology.
4. However, it is a sector in transformation: The transition to solar energy requires a collaborative effort. Alignment and cooperation between research institutions, government bodies, the private sector, and civil society are essential for the successful transformation of the energy sector.
