Capacity Building Programme

Africa’s energy sector transformation requires more than investment and technology. It requires strong institutions, skilled professionals and sustained access to knowledge and expertise across the continent.

AFREC is implementing a multi-year Comprehensive Capacity Building Programme to strengthen individual and institutional capacities across African Union Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and specialised energy institutions. The programme aims to develop the skills, knowledge and institutional capabilities required to support Africa’s evolving energy sector and advance the continent’s energy transition, energy security and sustainable development objectives.

Through the programme, AFREC is positioning itself as a continental hub for energy capacity development and knowledge exchange, connecting African energy professionals and institutions with expertise, practical tools, specialised training and opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. Particular emphasis is placed on building sustainable capacity within African institutions, promoting South-South and cross-border skills cooperation, and ensuring that knowledge and expertise can be shared and retained across the continent.

The programme combines continental and regional training, e-learning solutions, training-of-trainers approaches, institutional partnerships and knowledge exchange. Training programmes are tailored and designed around identified capacity gaps and emerging priorities in Africa’s energy sector, including energy planning, renewable energy project development and financing, energy statistics and information systems, electricity markets, smart grids, energy efficiency and other areas critical to the implementation of continental and national energy priorities.

A key pillar of the programme is the development of AFREC’s Capacity Building Information System (CBIS), which is being established as a continental platform for capacity development in the energy sector. The platform will support e-learning and knowledge sharing, facilitate access to training resources and expertise, strengthen networking among African energy professionals and help operationalize structured skills sharing across Member States and regional institutions.

The programme has already delivered important results, including:

• Adoption of a Continental Framework for Cross-Border Strategic Cooperation in Skills Sharing in the African Energy Sector, providing a structured approach for mobilizing and sharing expertise across countries and institutions.
• Development of the Capacity Building Information System (CBIS) to operationalize the skills-sharing framework and provide the digital backbone for AFREC’s expanding e-learning and knowledge-sharing activities.
• Delivery of specialized training on Smart Grid Technologies, through both in-person and online formats, benefiting several energy professionals from across the continent.
• Roll-out of series of continental trainings on Renewable Energy Project Planning, Development and Financing, providing professionals from AU Member States with practical competencies covering renewable energy planning, resource assessment, grid integration, policy and regulation, procurement, project bankability, financial modelling and project implementation.