By Musa Adamu
Abuja
The Federal Ministry of Power has organized a two-day training workshop to update the knowledge of its staff on software solutions applicable to the various activities in power generation, transmission and distribution sections of the power sector.
The ministry said the training was aimed at ensuring a more efficient and proactive energy sector, designed to meet the challenges of the emerging electricity market – post privatization. It said the training with the theme, “Training Workshop on the Design of Efficient Software Solutions for the
Power Sector,” is targeted at providing a national electricity supply industry that is energy efficient, driven by an effective billing system, reliable data base, control and reporting system, indeed appropriate ICT tools relevant for the entire electricity value chain.
Speaking at the event, permanent secretary of the ministry, Godknows Igali, challenged the participants drawn from Discos, Gencos, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Ministry, to see themselves as agents of change, as a lot was expected of them in the turn-around mission the sector is currently going through.
Represented by the director human resources, Mrs. Grace Papka, enjoined them to key into the goals of the training programme organized by Messrs Asseco of Poland as the company intends to build local competencies required in the nation’s quest for transferring technology that would galvanize access to uninterrupted power supply.
He said in this age and time the development of ICT tools including software solutions are essentially sacrosanct to the sector’s competitiveness and international best practice.
He identified the timeliness of the workshop, saying would improve their skills in providing ICT back-up in all critical areas including software solutions aimed at attending to interventions promptly when they occur.
Also speaking, the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Prezemyslaw Niesiotowski, said his country, though on transition from ineffective socialist economy to market driven economy, had opened up doors of opportunities for the prosperity and benefit of its citizens.
Also represented by the first secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Abuja, Marek Klek, the Ambassador expressed hope that the Polish experience would assist the country to catch up with the development aspiration of other developed countries.
He also said the training modules of developing software solutions was a way Poland through its public private partnership (PPP) activities, hopes to contribute to the nation’s capacity building efforts in critical areas.