Lagos’ solar boom faces a skills gap, with only 58% of technicians trained

Lagos is moving rapidly from petrol and diesel generators toward solar power, but its technical workforce may not be keeping pace. A new labour-market assessment found that only 58% of surveyed technicians in the state had received solar-related training.

The four-month action research project examined how workers are shifting from genset-based livelihoods to solar employment. Researchers presented the findings at a Lagos meeting attended by technicians, solar installers, training institutions, employers, policymakers and development organisations.

The study found that most skills development takes place outside formal education and vocational training. Among trained participants, 35% learned from other technicians, 36% through apprenticeships and 25% through company-based training. Apprenticeships remained the dominant practical learning route, cited by 65% of respondents, while 23% identified on-the-job learning.

Researchers said the informal sector supplies labour to the expanding solar industry while also serving as a major part of Lagos’s technical training system. They also warned about the quality and depth of that training. Twenty-two per cent of participants had completed solar-related courses lasting only two to seven days. Dr Eghosa Igudia of De Montfort University said short courses may provide introductory knowledge but may not equip technicians for increasingly sophisticated installations.

The research involved Igudia, Dr Tim Kelsall of ODI Global and the African Cities Research Consortium, with support from the University of Lagos and the Federation of Informal Workers Organisations of Nigeria.