On 21^st June 2023, KEPSA moderated a session during the Youth Energy Summit at the KICC, Nairobi. The Youth Energy Summit dubbed YES! was hosted concurrently with Africa Energy Forum (AEF). Launched during the 2022 AEF in Brussels, Belgium, YES! aims to provide a platform and network for early career professionals, entrepreneurs, students and educators to boost the skills, connections and business readiness of a new generation of African energy Leaders.

The panel discussion on Empowering Youth for a Sustainable Energy Future was moderated by Mr. Peter Gichango of KEPSA. The panellists included Project Manager at Sustainable Inclusive Business, Mr. Ebenezer Amadi; Chief Operations Officer at Zuhura Solutions, Mr. Llyord Mwaniki; Green Growth and Climate Officer at Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), Ms. Nancy Muriithi; Energy Policy & Regulatory Lead at Gennis Consulting, Ms. Louise Mathu and Managing Director at Africa E-mobility Alliance, Mr. Warren Ondanje.

While speaking on the state of e-mobility in Kenya, Mr. Warren began by stating that the current highly ironic state in the nation is the monthly allocation of $5 million forex for the importation of fossil fuels despite the 90% renewable energy on the grid. Further, he stated that e-mobility in Kenya is a fast-growing sector with a current investment of $50 million, 1350 produced electric vehicles and 40 registered e-mobility companies and encouraged the youth to actively seize the opportunities within the industry.

Ms. Mathu, in her remarks, stated that the youth go through several challenges in the innovative and business areas such as legal hurdles, cumbersome documentation and bureaucratic processes. However, it is up to the advanced practitioners in the energy innovative space to mentor and train the youth on how to navigate the various challenges as well as how to protect their innovations at all stages with the current industry-specific regulatory framework. As she concluded she stated that opportunities arise from challenges and it is up to the youth to seize them for them to rise to the top.

Ms. Muriithi, speaking about the initiatives undertaken by KAM to ensure energy efficiency, mentioned two major key activities. She first expounded on energy audits where she noted that through recommendations, organizations are able to save up to 10% of their energy consumption. The second issue she highlighted was the special-energy training that aims at building capacity internally to implement existing recommendations to innovate better sustainable solutions.

Mr. Ebenezer Amadi, speaking to the opportunities for youth in E-waste management stated that over 35% of the global population consists of the youth and as a nation, it is necessary for the challenges to be aligned with the opportunities for an active youth base. He further stated that e-waste recovery opportunities require a lot of mentorship all the way to the market penetration stage for the growth of their business. As he concluded, he highlighted that businesses in the energy space should not only focus on production but also waste management through the EPR system for an environmentally sustainable economy.

Mr. Llyord Mwaniki, in response to whether skills are present in the energy space among the youth, stated that the youth have massive talent and extraordinary innovations, however, the nurturing of these talents remains a major challenge. He encouraged the industry players to seize the opportunities and take up youth in various attachment and internship opportunities for them to learn and grow. He concluded by explaining that the youth are resources and stakeholders are obligated to utilize this opportunity for economic development.