Researchers Warn of Workforce Disruption as Generator Economy Gives Way to Renewable Energy
Bennett Oghifo
Lagos’ fast-growing transition from petrol and diesel generators to solar energy is facing a critical skills challenge, with only 58 per cent of technicians surveyed in the state having received solar-related training, a new labour-market assessment has revealed.
The finding has raised concerns over the capacity of the state’s existing technical workforce to meet rising demand for renewable-energy installations, maintenance and related services as households and businesses increasingly seek alternatives to costly and unreliable fossil-fuel-powered generators.
The assessment was conducted as part of a four-month action research project examining the transition from genset-based livelihoods to solar employment in Lagos.
The findings were presented yesterday at a stakeholders’ convening in Lagos attended by informal energy workers, solar installers, technicians, researchers, training institutions, employers, policymakers and development organisations.
The research is being undertaken by Dr Eghosa Igudia of De Montfort University, Leicester, and Dr Tim Kelsall of ODI Global/African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC), with support from researchers at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the Federation of Informal Workers Organisations of Nigeria (FIWON).
Presenting the findings, Igudia said the emerging solar economy was relying heavily on informal channels for skills acquisition, exposing a gap between the pace of energy transition and the development of a properly trained workforce.
According to him, most solar skills development in Lagos currently takes place outside formal education and vocational training systems, with only about half of the participants reporting that they had undergone some form of training.
Of those trained, 35 per cent said they first acquired their skills from other technicians, while 36 per cent learnt through apprenticeships and 25 per cent through company-based training.
The research further showed that apprenticeship remains the dominant route for practical skills acquisition, with 65 per cent of respondents identifying it as an important learning pathway. Another 23 per cent cited on-the-job learning.
The researchers said the findings underscored the economic importance of the informal sector, which is not only supplying labour to the expanding solar industry but also functioning as a major component of Lagos’ technical skills-development infrastructure.
However, the quality and depth of training remain concerns. The assessment found that 22 per cent of participants had undertaken solar-related training lasting only between two and seven days.
Igudia said while short courses could provide introductory knowledge, such programmes might not be sufficient to equip technicians with the technical competencies required for increasingly sophisticated solar installations.
The study nevertheless established the value of practical experience, with about 49 per cent of participants reporting substantial hands-on training, while 58 per cent described the training they received as “very useful.”
The researchers therefore called for a skills-development framework that would combine the strengths of Lagos’ established apprenticeship system with formal technical training, assessment, certification and quality assurance.
They stressed that the shift from generators to solar should be viewed not merely as an environmental or energy-policy issue but as a major economic and livelihood transition.
For thousands of technicians whose businesses and livelihoods have historically been tied to the generator economy, the expansion of solar energy could create significant opportunities if they are supported to acquire new skills.
Rather than allowing the energy transition to displace existing technicians, the researchers advocated structured “genset-to-solar” reskilling programmes to enable them to move into solar installation, maintenance and other renewable-energy services.
Igudia said informal technicians should be treated as active stakeholders in the energy transition, given their practical experience and established networks within Lagos communities.
The researchers identified three immediate priorities: strengthening existing apprenticeship and on-the-job learning systems; developing progressive training programmes that combine theory, practical experience, assessment and recognised certification; and creating accessible pathways for experienced genset technicians to upgrade their skills.
Proposed interventions include improved apprenticeship programmes, technician certification, industry-led training, structured reskilling schemes and stronger partnerships among government, training institutions and private-sector operators.
The research team is expected to publish a policy brief for policymakers and development partners, as well as a narrative report documenting the experiences of informal technicians.
The researchers said the objective was to ensure that Lagos’ transition to cleaner energy does not become a source of widespread livelihood disruption but instead creates new employment and business opportunities while providing the skilled workforce required to sustain the state’s expanding solar economy.