KGRTC: SADC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
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By MOSES WALUBITA, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA
The author Moses Walubita ascending a hill at Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre. – Picture by Tiwonge Joshua Chima.
LYING about 100 kilometres South of Lusaka, Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre (KGRTC) is a Centre of Excellence in energy training in the region, in Africa and beyond.
The Centre was established in 1989 by a resolution of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers responsible for Energy as a project for capacity building in hydropower electrical energy and supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and ZESCO Ltd.
Governed by a Board of Trustees (BOT) in line with a Memorandum of Understanding between ZESCO Ltd and the Centre, Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre is a subsidiary Organization of SADC.
In a recent interview at the training centre, Director and Chief Executive Officer Davies Chinkusu said the centre’s 2023-2027 vision is an ambitious one, to be a leading Centre of Excellence for capacity building in energy technologies in Africa and beyond Mr. Chinkusu said, “Management acknowledges that strategic thinking and building strong partnerships will be key in driving this agenda forward”.
Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre has in the recent past achieved many milestones.
SESA course Grid Integration of Renewable Energy Sources (GIRES) students during class facilitated by CESI S.P.A. – Picture by Tiwonge Joshua Chima.
Some of these milestones include International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 and ISO 50001 certification and integration of ISO 22000, high standard quality facilities, installation of electrical training simulators and the bringing on board of highly qualified and experienced staff with skills to develop demand-driven courses, thus meeting customers’ needs.
Over the years since inception, Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre has trained and certified participants from over 30 countries in Africa, Asia and beyond.
Some of the countries include Angola, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo DR, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius and Mozambique. Other countries are Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and many others.
In 2017, the Association of Power Utilities in Africa (APUA) recognized Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre as a Centre of Excellence. Later on in 2021, the institution was conferred as a Centre of Excellence for the provision of energy training by SADC.
Kafue Regional Training Centre is an established SADC Registered Trust for quality in-service energy training to both private and public sector institutions on the African continent.
According to a brief history during this author’s visit, Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre was established as a Trust in 1989 with the core business of providing hydropower training, conferences and accommodation services.
The training Centre was established with funding from ZESCO Limited, Zambia’s electricity utility, the Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation (Sida) as a project.
The cooperating partners, NORAD and Sida funded the capital expenditure of the facilities at Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre.
NORAD and Sida offered scholarships to a number of course participants from utility companies in the regional member states.
Under the country agreement between Zambia and the Royal Kingdom of Norway and Sweden, Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre received technical project support and financial assistance amounting to US$5,833,846 for capital and operational expenditures.
A brochure entitled: ‘OUR WORK’, states that Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre has made substantial investment in training aids, with fully equipped laboratories used in training to give course participants hands on working experience with modern industry certified systems.
The document states that today, Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre trains the entire value chain in energy from planning and funding, to commissioning, generation, transmission and distribution, with an added focus on increasing the uptake of renewal energy, energy efficiency and regional energy intregration.
Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre is a SADC, Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) and APUA-ANCEE certified Centre of Excellence.
Meanwhile, the Centre’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan stated that ZESCO and other SADC utilities supported the institution’s operations by offering funding to cover tuition fees, conferences and seminars.
In a FOREWORD in the Centre’s, strategic plan, KGRTC acknowledges that Africa’s energy sector continues to face challenges in terms of skills requirements and this creates one of the greatest opportunities for Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre in Zambia.
SESA course Grid Integration of Renewable Energy Sources (GIRES) students during class facilitated by CESI S.P.A. – Picture by Tiwonge Joshua Chima.
Further through the Strategic Plan, Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre commits that it shall strive to meet the needs of its clients through innovative forms of service delivery and engagements that places the customer at the centre of the its value proposition.
A happy participant’s face. Picture by Tiwonge Joshua Chima.
Today KGRTC is able to offer training on campus, at the premises of its client, online and using a blended approach incorporating both physical and online training methods.
The Centre is situated in Namalundu, Chikankata District of Southern Province, 28 kilometres off Chirundu Road in the same vicinity of Kafue Gorge Hydropower Station, one of Zambia’s biggest hydropower stations.
