EnergyNet Student Engagement Initiative at The Africa Energy Forum 2016

This year, EnergyNet welcomed 9 students from Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Cameroon and Mozambique to the Africa Energy Forum and on to the Student Engagement Initiative. EnergyNet to date has supported 68 students, of which 38 of these students have been placed in full time employment. We look to extend the number of students we will support this year from Zambia, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Swaziland and Lesotho.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160726005153/en/

EnergyNet are committed to supporting students of Engineering, Law and Finance to further their ambitions of working in Africa’s burgeoning energy sector. EnergyNet work closely with their partners, Aggreko and Norton Rose Fulbright as well as their Associate Sponsors from Ministries across Africa to place students in internship opportunities and eventual full time employment dependent on performance. Each year, selected students are flown from their home country to attend the Africa Energy Forum, to participate in workshops and engage with industry leaders and Ministers at the forum.

Each year, EnergyNet awards a student from the previous year with the ‘Student of the Year Award’. To win the award, a student needs to have demonstrated an ability to challenge the sector through written reports, supporting fellow students and connecting and engaging with our sponsors and speakers and building long lasting relationships. EnergyNet are delighted to have awarded this to Kevin Gaitho. Kevin was our ESEI student in 2015 and attended the 17th Annual Africa Energy Forum in Dubai. Kevin has a real passion and desire to support the change in Kenya’s energy sector in Kenya and delivering access to electricity for all. Kevin recently set up his own business, Equatorial Energies Limited, installing solar panels in hotels and rural parts of the country.

This year, the students got to speak to Ministers of Energy who attended the Africa Energy Forum. The Ministers thoroughly enjoyed networking and speaking to the students and they outlined key tips to making it to the top and what is required to be a ‘leader for tomorrow’.

Veronica Bolton-Smith, Regional Director, EnergyNet commented on the importance of the programme ‘ESEI for us is more than just an initiative, we hope to shape the next generation of leaders in Africa, we recognise that Africa has a rapidly growing adolescent population and securing job creation will be fundamental for them in years to come’