Sahara Power Group, the largest privately owned integrated power company in Sub-Saharan Africa, has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pan-Atlantic University (PAU). This partnership aims to enhance human capital in the power sector through transformative engineering education and foster cross-industry collaboration.
The collaboration involves Sahara Power Group working closely with PAU’s School of Science and Technology. This partnership focuses on capacity building through shared knowledge, insights, and opportunities for exchange programs between Sahara and PAU.
The goal is to bolster the “empirical capacity and impact” necessary to create an innovative, adaptable, and sustainable power sector across the value chain. Dr. Anthony Youdeowei, Managing Director of Sahara Power Group, described the partnership as a model of “town-gown relations.”
“This marks the beginning of a fruitful engagement between Sahara and PAU. We eagerly anticipate the commencement of this promising collaboration, starting with Egbin Power Plc, Sahara’s Power Generation Company, and expanding to our other entities, Ikeja Electric and First Independent Power Limited. We are confident that this partnership will pave the way for transforming Nigeria’s power sector,” he said.
Professor Christian Bolu, a Professor of Mechatronics Engineering and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at PAU, emphasized the partnership’s potential benefits for PAU students. He highlighted the importance of gaining an “outside perspective” and understanding sustainable business practices to address real-life challenges in the power sector.
Meanwhile, Henry Ajibola, Head of Talent Management at Sahara Power Group, noted that Sahara Power employees serving as adjunct lecturers at PAU will facilitate the transfer of practical knowledge and experience. He stressed that this initiative would create a symbiotic relationship where academia and industry collaborate seamlessly for mutual benefit, advancing engineering education and practice in Nigeria.