By Cross Udo, Abuja
The Nigerian Wind Energy Capacity-building (NWEC), in collaboration with the African Climate Foundation (ACF), has organised two capacity-building sessions on wind energy development at the University of Abuja and the University of Ibadan.
NWEC designed sessions to strengthen Nigeria’s human resource capacity and support Nigeria’s clean energy transition goals.
The programme, designed to deepen public and academic thoughts on renewable complementarity, brought together students, faculty members, renewable energy experts, and government representatives.
In her opening remarks, one of the key speakers, the Director of the Energy Research Centre at the University of Abuja, Professor Kafayat Adeyemi, emphasised the importance of research in addressing Nigeria’s energy challenges.
Under the Global Technical Assistance Facility, the European Union supported both programmes with key experts who delivered presentations on wind energy development, technical requirements, and project financing.
Presentations covered critical themes such as wind resource assessment, environmental and social impact, community engagement, and enabling policy frameworks.
Experts from the Centre Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law (CPEEL) at the University of Ibadan provided insights into technical requirements for wind energy deployment.
Also, the former Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria spoke on the role of research institutions and policy in renewable energy deployment.
Key takeaways from the sessions included the urgent need to mainstream wind energy into national energy planning, the importance of academic research in guiding policy, and the call for increased government and private sector investment in wind infrastructure.
Participants recommended integrating wind energy topics into university curricula and expanding research collaboration between institutions.
These sessions marked a vital step in developing a skilled workforce and a fit-for-work-ready environment for wind energy in Nigeria.
