UB Sends out First batch of Trainee Clean Energy Experts

The University of Buea on April 21 2016 sent out 21 trainees of 16 councils in the southwest region who have undergone six months of intensive training in setting up and sustaining renewable energy plants.

The training of 21 council workers by the University of Buea’s Faculty of Engineering was in line with a partnership the institution signed with some 31 councils in the Southwest region. According to the Dean of the faculty of Engineering Prof. Emmanuel Tany, the Roadmap for realizing the projects was drawn up in March 2016 and visibility studies for the construction of Solar, Wind, hydroelectricity and biomass energy systems were carried out. He further explained that so far, three solar energy prototype systems have been developed to meet the needs of different geographical areas and populations.

At the end of the training exercise, each trainee is said to have carried out a mini project in line with what they were taught. Addressing the 21 trainees, the Vice chancellor of the University of Buea, noted that the University has moved away from big books to harvesting and using knowledge from the big books to impact the society. She stressed on the importance of green energy stating that it was not just a struggle in Cameroon, but a global struggle to make the planet a better and friendly place.

The VC also discouraged a habit which she qualifies as bad, noting that people beg for amenities, spoil them and then come to beg again. To her, “a country without engineers is lost and there is no guarantee for development”. She went further to note that UB will continue to train others in the field of energy as their partnership with councils will continue after the graduation of the trained personnel. To her, similar problems like that of electrifying the communities are a problem that needs to be fixed by the communities and not by a white man as the conception has always been.

Speaking to the press after the certificate award ceremony, the dean of the faculty of Engineering Prof. Emmanuel Tany noted that it will not be sustainable for them to be moving around the region in in order to fix little problems but rather expect the trainees to put into practice their acquired skills to stand up to expectation. One of the trainees Newton Nakende from Kombo Itindi rejoiced that they have acquired the required skills but noted that their greatest problem will be equipment to work with in their various municipalities.