Sustainable Energy for All Expands Flagship STEM Traineeship Programme to Nigeria and Mozambique

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)'s STEM Traineeship Programme empowers young female leaders to accelerate energy transitions, scale rural electrification and bridge technical skills gaps across Africa and Latin America & the Caribbean.

Vienna/Abuja/Maputo – Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) officially launches the expansion of the STEM Traineeship Programme into Mozambique and Nigeria. Generously supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, the activity-based technical training initiative equips young women with high-level technical, digital, and analytical skills to lead in an expanding global energy sector.

Since its inception in 2022, the SEforALL STEM Traineeship has trained 46 young women across nine countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, Kenya, Mexico, Panama, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. The expansion into Mozambique and Nigeria marks a strategic push to align youth skills development with critical national energy access and climate mitigation goals.

Advancing Gender Inclusion and Rural Electrification in Mozambique

In Mozambique, the STEM Traineeship directly supports national goals to increase female representation in the technical and energy workforce. Currently, women represent only 42 percent of professional and technical workers nationwide, 25 percent of the workforce at the National Energy Directorate, and approximately 20 percent within national utilities.

The incoming Mozambican trainees will support a partnership between Enabel (the Belgian Agency for International Cooperation), SEforALL, and FUNAE (Mozambique National Energy Fund). Funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), this initiative aims to expand energy access, strengthen rural economies, and avoid an estimated 399,131 tonnes of CO₂e emissions.

The trainees will play an active role on the ground by supporting rural Mozambicans in gaining increased climate resilience through improved food and water security, diversified livelihoods, and enhanced access to health and education services. Trainees will also support the deployment of 300 to 400 climate-smart Productive Uses of Renewable Energy (PURE) solutions to bolster productive rural value chains.

“I saw in this opportunity the chance to finally start my dream career and help others gain access to affordable energy. Knowing that, by the end of my traineeship, hundreds of people will benefit from work I was part of brings me real fulfillment, especially since renewable energy is sustainable, and the jobs it creates will endure and benefit generations to come.” – Cinthya Jovo, 2026 Mozambican STEM Trainee 

Driving Green Transformation and Youth Leadership in Nigeria

The arrival of the new cohort comes at a pivotal moment for Nigeria, where energy access, youth demographics, and workforce evolution intersect:

• Energy access gap: In a country of 240 million residents, 80 million people have no access to electricity, while an additional 150 million experience unreliable power.
• Youth labour demographics: Annually, 3.5 million young Nigerians enter the labour force, navigating a market where youth unemployment stands at 32%.
• Skills transformation: The World Economic Forum projects that 60% of workers globally will require reskilling or upskilling by 2027. In Nigeria, employers already report critical shortages in technical and digital skills required for the green economy.

The traineeship addresses these systemic challenges by preparing young female professionals to design inclusive, resilient energy and finance systems.

“The SEforALL STEM Traineeship is an opportunity to build on my technical foundation while developing a deeper understanding of the planning and inclusion side of the transition. I hope to grow into a professional who can help make sure Nigeria’s energy systems are built with the people they’re meant to serve in mind.” – Peace Terna, 2026 Nigerian STEM Trainee
 
About the SEforALL STEM Traineeship Programme

The SEforALL STEM Traineeship Programme offers activity-based, holistic training designed to develop both technical expertise and essential soft skills. By targeting early-career women in STEM fields, the programme removes structural barriers, fosters leadership capacity, and ensures that the global transition to clean energy is equitable, inclusive, and effective.