Thursday 28 November:  Wits Business School’s African Energy Leadership Centre (AELC) has announced that it will be entering into a strategic partnership with the National Power Training Institute (NPTI) of India.

The AELC and the NPTI announced their intention to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the Matla-Urja Energy Conference held at Wits Business School on 27 and 28 November 2024. 

The MOU will cover a number of areas of collaboration between the two institutions, with particular focus on renewable energy development initiatives, digitalisation/data analytics for the energy sector, staff and student mobility exchanges and joint industry training initiatives. 

The NPTI, which falls under the Indian Government’s Ministry of Power, is a leading integrated power training institute which has trained over 320 000 power professionals over the past five decades, including engineers, operators, and technicians. 

Dr Tripta Thakur, Director General of the NPTI says: “We are excited at the prospect of building strong ties with the AELC, not only for the benefit of our respective energy sectors but for the benefit of the global energy transition as a whole. I believe this MOU will be start of a long and very productive engagement.”

The AELC, a hub of research and thought leadership on energy in Africa, introduced the first postgraduate programmes of their kind in energy leadership in 2019, including a postgraduate diploma a Master’s degree in energy leadership as well as  PhD in energy and related fields. 

Director of the AELC, Dr David Phaho, says that there is massive scope for cooperation between the two entities that can incorporate trans-disciplinary projects for the benefit of the energy sector, such as digitalisation and data analytics, industry tailored training, and advancement in renewable energy in support of the Just Energy Transition agenda in both countries.

“We can look forward to many short-term areas of collaboration between ourselves and the NPTI, such as webinars, student exchanges and joint training initiatives. However, I see huge potential for longer-term areas of growth, such as in research and working papers, sharing of regulatory and environmental policy best practice, and possible joint qualifications.”

It is envisaged that that MOU between the AELC and the NPTI will be signed during the upcoming G20 Summit to be hosted in Johannesburg in 2025.