SESA launches its Capacity Building Programme first course

SESA launches its Capacity Building Programme first course

The first course in SESA’s Capacity Building Programme is now available! The online programme, designed to close the knowledge gap around renewable and smart energy solution technologies, aims to help participants understand what alternative technologies exist and how they work.  

Case studies and examples relevant to the African context make up the foundation of the courses, but the programme is open to all participants who want to enter the world of sustainable energy, seek alternatives to traditional energy sources and opt for sustainable development in both urban and rural contexts.  

The Programme’s first course, Solar Energy, is now available through the NUA Campus platform and dives into the basics of electricity and energy produced through solar irradiations, the current technological options available, and key elements to consider when planning and setting up a solar energy installation. Following the course’s eight lessons and informative videos, additional readings, and a webinar to discuss with experts, a quiz will test your understanding of the material. 

Specifics on the lessons within this course include: 

  • Basics of electricity and solar energy 
  • Differences between different equipment 
  • Suitable conditions and key factors to plan a solar installation 
  • Ensuring the best performance of the equipment installed 
  • Possible applications for solar energy 

The course is self-paced, so participants can go through each lesson at a schedule that best fits their needs and upon successfully completing the course, participants will receive a certificate. 

Subsequent courses will be added to the programme over the coming six months and will cover a range of technologies investigated within the scope of the SESA project including clean cooking, waste to energy, electric mobility, second life EV batteries, smart micro-grid and system integration, and rural internet access. 

To learn more, access SESA’s Capacity Building Programme through the NUA Campus here 

Africa-Europe SESA incubator program is looking for regional mentors in Africa!

Africa-Europe SESA incubator program is looking for regional mentors in Africa!

Target countries: Ghana, Malawi and South Africa

5 mid-stage start-up companies will be financially supported under European Union (EU) funded SESA project through its incubator programme.There is an opening for up to 2-3 regional mentors who have experience working with start-ups in the focus countries.

5 start-ups will focus on:
Solar solutions for irrigation and buildings, Waste-to-energy solutions and off-grid energy solutions with battery storage (it would be a big plus if mentors have experience in these focus areas).

Mentoring duration:

March 2023- June 2024 with defined number of sessions which will be agreed between selected mentors and the startups. Mentors will collaborate with European mentors for guiding start-ups.

Compensation & mentoring plan:
This will be clarified during mentor interviews. This is not a permanent position but a time-limited one. Why apply: Visibility in multiple African countries and in Europe, access to a wide European & African network of experts, mentor promising energy-related start-ups and work in a top awarded EU-AU collaboration projects.

Expected competencies of mentors:

  • Previous experience on mentoring Start-ups.
  • Ability to deliver hands-on-support.
    Positive attitude, open-mindedness, strong communication and presentation skills, and ability to influence and inspire.
    Have extensive networks (both local and regional) in the energy sector and with potential investors.
    Added advantage of having domain specific knowledge in areas like sales, strategy or marketing.
    Ability to communicate both in English and local languages.

How to apply

Please send your interest and CV via email to Sanket Puranik

The Call for Entrepreneurs results 2022 are in!

The Call for Entrepreneurs results 2022 are in!

The SESA Call for Entrepreneurs 2022 was a great success, with many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana, Malawi, Morocco, and South Africa applying with their innovative Productive Use of Energy (PUE) solutions. The official results from the competition can now be found in an infographic below, which provides an overview of the applicants by country and sector.

The winners of the competition are set to receive funding ranging from €50,000 to €70,000 per business over 18 months. This funding will be used to validate selected proof of concepts and business models for upscaling. Starting at the end of February 2023, they will also join the SESA Incubator Programme, where they will benefit from tailored growth support, capacity building, and mentoring. This programme aims to prepare the winners for follow-on funding and to strengthen the financial sustainability of their enterprises. In addition, they will be able to leverage the diverse expertise, experience, and networks of the consortium partners.

D7.5 Data Management Plan

D7.5 Data Management Plan

A Data Management Plan will be a living document that will present the status of the project’s reflections on data management. Purpose of the document is to provide detailed information on the informed consent procedures that will be implemented regarding the collection, storage and protection of personal data that might be collected in the activities of stakeholder engagement throughout the project. The Plan will take into consideration the different methods used and purposes used for data collection and provide partners to ensure the legal compliance.

Executive summary

This document (deliverable D7.5) describes the SESA project Data Management Plan (DMP), which outlines how data will be handled during the project lifetime. The data collection, sharing and storing process is described in this document, following a methodology aligned with the H2020 guidelines on data management. The document describes how collected data will be managed in the demonstration projects. Data security and personal data protection security are outlined in this deliverable. The deliverable also touches on how data generated in this project will comply with the FAIR approach (findable, accessible, interoperable, re-usable). In addition to this deliverable, more details on the data gathering will be included in other relevant documents to be prepared by the project.

 

D7.4 Risk analysis and risk management plan

D7.4 Risk analysis and risk management plan

This document will present a detailed risk management plan acknowledging the probability of occurrence of identified risks or the emergence of new one establishing avoidance and mitigation actions. The plan, periodically reassessed and discussed with the Steering Group, will include an adequate measurement method of progress (risk indicators) as well as the “acceptability level” of each risk. The risks analysis will be based on the traditional “level of impact x probability of occurrence” approaches (scale 1-5).

Executive summary

This deliverable describes the SESA project’s approach to mitigating foreseen and unforeseen risks that may hinder the smooth implementation of project actions and stifle the delivery of objectives. The SESA project involves a modular living lab demonstration action in Kenya, 4 validation demonstration projects in Morocco, Ghana, Malawi, and South Africa, and 4 replication demonstration projects in Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Nigeria.

Taking into account the level of innovations in the demonstration actions as well as the high number of partners involved in the implementation activities, the project and its partners acknowledge the possibility of some uncertain events or situations from within and outside the project posing threats to the smooth implementation of actions which could eventually negatively affect project aims.

The project consortium therefore sees it quite important to set up a continuous risk management process in order to follow the probability of occurrence of any identified uncertainties or risks and ascertain their level of impacts so as to design appropriate mitigation measures. This document therefore presents the roles and responsibilities of project partners for risk management, the risk management procedure which includes risk identification, risk analysis, response planning, and risk monitoring and controlling.

The document also provides an initial list of potential risks foreseen and offers mitigation measures to be performed and monitored throughout the project. It is noteworthy that the risk management process in the SESA project will be continuously carried out throughout the project such that at any given stage of the project where a potential event, situation or condition, for that matter any risk, could negatively affect project success, the necessary action would be taken to avoid or minimise any such effects that may arise.