Nigeria: NAPTIN accesses $15.4m fund to train African utilities

The National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) has been endorsed by the Association of Power Utilities in Africa (APUA) as a priority centre for training.

NAPTIN, through APUA’s endorsement, is now an admitted member of the African Network of Excellence in Electricity (ANCEE) and as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in training for the power sector in Africa. ANCEE has only eight training centres across Africa, including NAPTIN, which is the only training institute from West Africa.

NAPTIN is now eligible to tap into a $15.4 million training fund, set aside by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and French Development Bank, for capacity development of power firms in African countries.

Following an assessment process by APUA, the institute’s training centres and faculties were pre-qualified and its trainers made to share their methodology of training delivery to the satisfaction of the association at a workshop in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Bolaji Nagode, director general, NAPTIN, said “we have the opportunity to train workers in power utility companies of other African countries, and this will bring in lots of opportunities for us and Nigeria”, adding that the admission as a Centre of Excellence did not come as a gift.

“It is like a reward for the number of years and efforts we had put in to get us to this level in terms of infrastructural development”, Nagode explained.

As a member of ANCEE, NAPTIN can now benefit from sharing knowledge and best practices with other training CoE in Africa; expand its course offerings; attract foreign direct investment through training patronage from other African countries; upgrade its training facility; and increase the quality of its training in harmony with international best practice standards expected from all CoEs.