Sahara Group trains engineers to boost Nigeria’s electricity supply

Sahara Power, owned by Sahara Group, says it is taking steps to shore up power generation and distribution in Nigeria, and will leverage on its Graduate Engineering Programme.

The managing director, Sahara Power, Kola Adesina, said the GEP was part of the company’s commitment to sustaining human capital development in the country’s power sector to ensure enhanced productivity.

Mr. Adesina said Sahara Power and its affiliates, Egbin Power Plc, Ikeja Electric (IE) and First Independent Power Limited (FIPL), along with its technical partner, Korea Electric Corporation (KEPCO), were committed to a plan to shore up electricity generation and distribution in the country.

Speaking at a strategy session on the theme: “Human Capital Development in Nigeria’s power Sector”, Mr. Adesina said the GEP would help address the gulf created by an ageing workforce in the power sector.

He said a recent report by the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria identified the dearth of young engineers and technical staffs as a huge challenge for the sector, as industry experts say about 50,000 young skilled engineers, craftsmen and fitters were needed to replace the ageing workforce.

The GEP currently has 100 young graduate engineers from Egbin Power, Ikeja Electric and FIPL being trained by seasoned Nigerian and foreign professionals under the scheme being facilitated through local and overseas exchange programmes.

Mr. Adesina said the management of Sahara Power has set aside substantial funds to drive a holistic human capital policy to cater for the specific needs of all employees within the organisation.

He explained that the unfolding “people success story” at Sahara Power was predicated on strategic re-engineering and re-orientation activities designed to enhance capacity and efficiency.

“This is also backed by a change management process that has continued to fuel a performance driven culture among the legacy and new employees across the group,” Mr. Adesina said.

“We are quite pleased with the impact of our policy on the work ethic and professional drive of our staff across the organisation. The legacy staff and new employees are bound by an unwavering desire to light up Nigeria by working harder and smarter in line with recent global trends.

“We will definitely set aside more funds for capacity building as we see Sahara Power as the future hub of power sector experts on the continent,” he said.