Jimma, Ethiopia, July 23-25, 202 – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia successfully completed two parallel capacity building sessions to enhance awareness of gender issues in the climate era and solar energy among government stakeholders.

The Training of trainers, held from July 23-25, 2024 brought together over 140 government stakeholders in Jimma, Bonga and Mizan and covered technology to facilitate access to clean energy for irrigation and home lighting; as well as gender-mainstreaming into climate action.

Both trainings were organized as part of the SIDA-funded Conservation and Sustainable Management of Forested Landscapes (CSMFL) project. Facilitated by local and international gender experts, the gender capacity building training provided the opportunity to discuss approaches that promote gender equality and equity, gender-responsive climate action, and social inclusion, with an emphasis on empowering participants to advocate for change in their respective government offices and broader spheres of influence. 46 participants attended the training.

The second training session focused on Solar Technologies and aimed to equip over 100 local experts from Oromia and Southwestern regions with practical skills to install, operate and maintain solar technologies being introduced by GGGI through the CSMFL project to facilitate both irrigation and home lighting.

Labata Adera, a water engineer at the Jimma Zone Irrigation Bureau and one of the participants, said: “We are grateful for the skills acquired which unlocked a better understanding of the management of solar technologies and their application for irrigation and access to clean lighting; and allow us to support future regional and national development”.

“Developing local solar expertise will ensure long-term community benefits of renewable technologies. This training has strengthened the skills and know-how of participants on installing and maintaining solar-powered lighting equipment and will ensure the sustainability of the equipment through proper maintenance,” observed Okechukwu Daniel, the Country Representative for GGGI Ethiopia.

Strengthening Partnerships and Empowering Local Development

In the same week, GGGI held Partnership and Material Handover events in Oromia and Southwest regions. At these event, local districts partners received desktop computers, printers and office furniture to facilitate their work as they support the CSMFL project implementation. The handover ceremonies took place in Jimma and Bonga, and the new resources will support community outreach, sustainable land management, and forest conservation efforts.

GGGI also conducted engagement meetings with academic and research institutions in Ethiopia to explore opportunities for collaboration in advancing environmental sustainability and finding suitable solutions to climate change.