1. Overview

Open Africa Power is an education venture initiated by Enel Foundation in 2018 in partnership with top Academic institutions in Italy and Africa, aiming to forge a new generation of African leaders deeply engaged with their country’s clean energy future.

The Open Africa Power Program provides high-profile African graduates with a holistic knowhow of the electricity sector, enhancing the technical, regulatory and business skills required to work in the private and public sector towards the electrification of Africa.

This collaborative program brings together Enel Foundation, Strathmore University, the University of Cape Town, Politecnico di Torino, Politecnico di Milano, Bocconi University, Venice International University and Florence School of Regulation.

The 2020 edition will engage up to 60 African students and alumni in a series of professional development and leadership activities, comprising residential modules in South Africa and Italy.

2. Program Structure

• Online Module and Exams

The online module Regulation for Universal Access to Energy will start on January 13th and will end on May 18th. This course will enable the learners to gain a comprehensive vision on how to design appropriate policy and regulatory framework needed to ensure sustainable energy for all. Successful completion of this course is required to be selected for the Italian Module.

• African Module: State of the Art

This five-day module will occur between 10th to 14th February 2020. It will take place in South Africa at the Graduate School of Business within the University of Cape Town. The module will explore the fundamentals of the global electricity sector through the lenses of
sustainable development goals. It will cover the following areas:

• Networks technology, regulation, economics;
• Renewables technology, regulation, economics;
• ICT digitalization of the electricity industry

The faculty will consist of local and international experts both from academia and industry.
Following the African Module, participants will be asked to put forward a research abstract on a specific aspect/solution for the electricity sector that can become a key element in the race from poverty to prosperity for the entire Continent or for a specific African country. The
top twenty per cent participants of the course, based on valuation of their abstract, class interactions and successful completion of online course, will be invited to attend the Italian module.

• Italian Module: New Frontiers

Lasting two weeks in July 2020, this module will take place in Italy. Participants will explore the new frontiers of the electricity sector, sharing knowledge and experience first-hand innovation. They will be called to actively interact with prestigious academic partners and
research representatives, meet with government, business, and non-profit leaders; engage in a dialogue around issues of Africa’s clean energy future; and visit sites where innovative technologies are a reality in the electricity space.

• Give Back Module

Upon completion of the Italian module, alumni will be involved in teaching activities related to Enel Foundation education initiatives in Africa.

3. Eligibility

The Open Africa Power selection process is an open, merit-based, competition. The application period opens on 1st October, 2019, and closes on 31st October, 2019.

To be eligible, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Be between the ages of 24 and 35 by 13th January, 2020;
• Be a citizen of an African country;
• Currently resident in an African country or planning to relocate in Africa within the end of 2020;
• Be eligible to travel to South Africa and Italy. Depending on your country of residence, your passport must be valid for one to three months AFTER the date of departure from South Africa, in order to be eligible for a visa (e.g. 15th March or 15th May 2020). All candidates are invited to check well in advance the procedure applicable to their specific case;
• Having graduated from or being a student (having an admission letter is also acceptable) of a PhD, MSc, LLM, MPP or MBA degree.  Undergraduate students or people who are not at least enrolled in a master’s degree are not eligible for this program. One of the two degrees (Bachelor or Masters) must be from an African University;
• Have competences and a demonstrated interest to pursue a career – in private or public sector – in the electricity space at large;
• Be fully proficient in English.

4. How to Apply

Applications are to be filed through our dedicated platform exclusively. Please click on the link and copypaste the following code (OAP20CFA) in order to begin the process:

Applicants must provide:

• A copy of their CV;
• Copy of their Bachelors and Masters degree certificates AND academic transcripts;
• A copy of their Passport;
• A motivation letter;
• Three reference letters from industry, academia and/or civil servant representatives.

The application process begins with a registration form that allows applicants to sign up by entering their contact details. They will then receive a confirmation email redirecting them to the actual application form, which is divided into stages. At any given stage, if the required document is not uploaded, the system will prevent the applicant from advancing to the next stage. To successfully complete the process, all the documents listed in the bullet points above are required. Applications can be saved and resumed at a later stage. However, once an application is submitted, it cannot be amended. Therefore, please make sure your submission meets the requirements.

Interested candidates acknowledge that by submitting their application they will share personal data and authorize the treatment of personal data only for the scope of this program. Without such authorization, the application will not be submitted. For full information please read the privacy note.