CERMI’s 2019 ECOWAS Train-the-trainer program has come to a close with the completion of another training session participated by 16 technicians from Francophone countries in the sub-region, namely from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Togo, as well as Cabo Verde.

The training focused on Assembly and Maintenance of Solar Thermal Systems, delivered by West African specialist, Edem N'Tsoukpoe from Burkina Faso who was part of the course coordination and teaching team, in accordance with the intention of CERMI and its partners to make use of existing skills and competences in the sub-region in the renewable energy sector.

The training lasted two weeks and was organized by the Cabo Verde Center of Competence (3C), within the framework of the CERMI's Regional Anchor Strengthening Project - financed by the European Union and carried out by the Luxembourg agency LuxDev. It was an intensive program that highlighted both the theoretical and practical aspects, and provided participants with knowledge that will enable them to deal with any challenge they may encounter during their daily work in their respective countries.

For Edem N'Tsoukpoe, “it was a privilege to have been selected by CERMI to be one of the instructors” in the training, since he was able to “effectively contribute to the improvement of knowledge” of this group of professionals who will have the opportunity to apply it on site in their different countries of origin.

The trainer highlighted the "excellent quality" of equipment and logistics, the technical and technological conditions provided by CERMI, as well as the warm welcome he received, which was "the best possible".

We also heard from some of the participants, who gave their testimony about the importance of the training, both for themselves and for their respective countries, who have everything to “gain”, in their opinion, from this additional contribution to increase energy transition and efficiency.

“It has been two intense and very interesting weeks that we have had here, especially in terms of what we have learned and how we have improved our qualifications in the area of Solar Thermal Systems”, said Todine Salifou, from Togo, for whom this experience at CERMI will be “very useful”, not just for him, but for the professional development of all participants.

Juste Damada, a participant from Benin, was also "very satisfied". He sees a “great need to increase professional qualifications in the Renewable Energy sector” in his country, and thus places significant importance to the training he attended at CERMI.

The closing ceremony for the training was attended by CERMI's Regional Anchor Program Coordinator, Jansénio Delgado, the Center’s Executive Director, Luís Pina, the Coordinators of 3C, and François Bary, Resident Representative of the Lux-Dev agency, responsible for implementing the project.

They all addressed words of encouragement to the participants, to continue to contribute to the cause of energy transition, and strive for the respective countries to develop a new vision based on what is possible to achieve in the Renewable Energy sector.

The officials also called upon the trainees to act as “ambassadors of CERMI” in their home countries, aware that throughout the training they had built a lasting bond between themselves and the Center.

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