Renewable energy projects are commonly described in megawatts.

Capacity matters. It indicates how much electricity an installation is capable of generating and helps governments, investors and developers track progress towards national energy targets.

But megawatts alone do not explain whether a project has improved access to electricity, supported local enterprises, strengthened essential services or created a workforce capable of operating the infrastructure over the long term.

The success of an energy project should therefore be measured not only by what it generates, but by what it makes possible.

That includes the households connected, businesses supported, employees developed and local capabilities established around the project.

As Africa expands its energy infrastructure, the people dimension cannot remain secondary. Every project depends on engineers, technicians, commercial teams, environmental specialists, administrators, operators and local institutions that can turn generation capacity into meaningful economic and social value.

Kenya’s Green Mini-Grid Programme: energy access in practice

Members of the wider AltGen group recently attended the commissioning of Phase 2 of Kenya’s Green Mini-Grid Programme in Turkana County.

The programme provides a useful example of why energy impact extends beyond installed capacity.

Since its establishment in 2016, the programme has supported 80 renewable energy mini-grids across Turkana, Siaya, Homa Bay, Nyamira, Kisii, Busia, Kajiado and Kericho counties. Together, they have added approximately 2 MW of clean generation capacity, created 20,000 new electricity connections and extended access to around 100,000 Kenyans.

Within Turkana County, 27 mini-grids have established approximately 7,000 connections, expected to benefit around 35,000 people. The programme was financed through a €15 million grant from the European Union and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and implemented by Agence Française de Développement.

Those figures tell a fuller story than generation capacity alone.

The programme has supported electricity access in areas that have historically remained beyond the practical reach of the national grid. The mini-grids supply households, local enterprises and institutions with renewable electricity generated closer to where it is used.

That access can support longer business hours, improved security, refrigerated storage at health facilities and greater access to electricity for schools and community services. Official programme reporting also identifies growth in activities such as milling, baking and metalwork, as well as increased participation by women-owned and women-run enterprises.

The installed capacity matters. The opportunities enabled by that capacity matter more.

Why megawatts are an incomplete measure of success

A generation target answers an engineering question:

How much electricity can this project produce?

A development-focused assessment asks several additional questions:

• Who can access that electricity?

• Is the supply reliable and affordable?

• Can local businesses use it productively?

• Are schools and healthcare facilities better able to function?

• Did the project create meaningful employment?

• Were local employees trained to maintain and operate the assets?

• Can the infrastructure continue functioning after the construction team leaves?

• Did local organisations gain greater delivery capacity?

These questions do not replace technical and financial performance measures. They complement them.

A project must still be constructed safely, perform as designed and remain commercially sustainable. But a technically successful project can deliver limited wider value if the surrounding workforce, institutions and local economy are not equipped to use and sustain it.

From project output to development outcome

Energy projects produce several layers of value.

No single metric captures the full impact.

The appropriate assessment combines technical, commercial, employment and community outcomes.

Energy access creates the conditions for wider growth

Electricity does not produce development automatically.

It creates the conditions within which development can occur.

Reliable electricity can allow a small enterprise to remain open after sunset, operate machinery, refrigerate products or access digital tools. It can enable a clinic to preserve medicines and extend its hours. It can support irrigation, food processing, telecommunications and education.

The World Bank estimates that nearly 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to electricity. It identifies this gap as a constraint on healthcare, education, productivity, digital participation and job creation. Its joint Mission 300 initiative with the African Development Bank aims to connect 300 million additional people by 2030 through a combination of grid expansion and distributed renewable energy.

Mini-grids are particularly relevant where communities are distant from existing transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Rather than waiting for the national grid to reach every remote location, a mini-grid can generate and distribute electricity within a defined community or area. AFD identifies mini-grids as an important route to universal access in parts of Kenya where extending the main grid is not practical in the short term.

Their long-term value, however, depends on far more than installing solar panels and batteries.

It depends on the people who design, finance, construct, regulate, operate, maintain and use them.

Every energy project is also a people project

Renewable energy infrastructure requires a wide range of skills across its lifecycle.

Development and financing

Before construction begins, projects rely on:

• project developers;

• financial modellers;

• investment professionals;

• legal and commercial teams;

• environmental and social specialists;

• land and permitting professionals;

• stakeholder coordinators; and

• technical advisers.

These roles establish whether the project is technically viable, financeable and appropriate for its operating context.

Engineering and construction

During implementation, the workforce may include:

• electrical and civil engineers;

• construction managers;

• project managers;

• quality professionals;

• health and safety teams;

• technicians and tradespeople;

• procurement and logistics staff;

• contract managers;

• site administrators; and

• community liaison personnel.

The project schedule depends on these people being available at the correct stage, with the required qualifications, employment structures and site support.

Operations and maintenance

Once construction ends, the skills requirement changes.

Long-term operation may depend on:

• plant and mini-grid operators;

• electrical technicians;

• maintenance teams;

• customer-service personnel;

• billing and revenue-management teams;

• data and monitoring specialists;

• local managers; and

• regulatory and compliance professionals.

These roles determine whether the infrastructure continues to provide reliable service after the construction contractor has left.

A project that builds an asset without preparing an operational workforce has completed only part of the work.

Workforce development must begin before construction

Workforce development is sometimes treated as a training activity that begins once hiring is underway.

In practice, it should begin during project design.

Early workforce planning helps the project determine:

• which roles will be required at each stage;

• which skills already exist in the local market;

• where material gaps are likely to emerge;

• which roles require formal qualifications or professional registration;

• whether expatriate expertise will be needed;

• how skills will be transferred to local employees;

• what employment structures will apply;

• how payroll and statutory compliance will be managed; and

• which positions must remain in place throughout operations.

This information affects project cost, sequencing and long-term sustainability.

The International Energy Agency describes the availability of appropriately skilled workers as an increasingly critical factor in developing secure, affordable and sustainable energy systems. It also identifies limited training access and poor alignment between energy policy and workforce planning as important barriers to building the required skills base.

Workforce planning should therefore sit alongside engineering, financing and procurement rather than follow them.

What fit-for-purpose workforce development looks like

A workforce strategy should reflect the country, technology, community and lifecycle of the project.

It may include several connected activities.

Labour-market and skills analysis

The project first needs an accurate view of available skills.

This means assessing:

• existing technical experience;

• geographic availability;

• salary expectations;

• professional qualifications;

• competition from other projects;

• willingness to work in remote locations;

• training capacity; and

• positions that cannot readily be filled locally.

Without this information, localisation targets may be aspirational rather than achievable.

Local recruitment

Local recruitment can create employment and strengthen the project’s relationship with the surrounding economy.

But “local” should be defined carefully. It may refer to the immediate host community, the county or province, the country, or a wider regional labour market.

The appropriate definition may differ by role.

Entry-level and operational positions may be available close to the site, while highly specialised engineering or commercial skills may initially need to be recruited nationally or regionally.

Honest market analysis helps the project set commitments that are ambitious but credible.

Training and skills transfer

Training should respond to a defined role or capability requirement.

This may involve:

• technical instruction;

• supervised workplace experience;

• certification;

• health and safety training;

• management development;

• digital and commercial skills;

• mentoring; or

• structured knowledge transfer from international specialists.

The objective is not training activity for its own sake.

It is to build a capable workforce that can perform the work safely and maintain the infrastructure over time.

Appropriate employment structures

Projects also need a lawful and practical method of employing their people.

Depending on the market and project model, this may involve:

• the developer’s local entity;

• an Employer of Record;

• Workforce Management;

• fixed-term project employment;

• employment through an EPC contractor; or

• genuinely independent specialist contractors.

The structure determines responsibility for contracts, payroll, statutory contributions, benefits, employee records and termination.

A person can have the right technical skill and still be unable to begin work if the employment infrastructure is not ready.

Retention and career pathways

Energy projects often compete for a limited pool of experienced professionals.

Retention therefore matters, particularly for operational roles that need to remain in place for many years.

Projects should consider:

• clear role progression;

• competitive and locally appropriate benefits;

• professional development;

• succession planning;

• stable payroll and HR administration;

• effective management;

• safe working conditions; and

• opportunities to move from one project phase to another.

A project creates greater long-term value when employees leave it with deeper capability than they had when they joined.

Workforce inclusion needs deliberate attention

The energy transition will not automatically produce broad-based employment.

IRENA and the International Labour Organization estimate that global renewable energy employment reached at least 16.6 million jobs, but continue to identify barriers affecting women, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups. Their most recent review concludes that the human dimension of renewable energy development is still too often overlooked.

Inclusive workforce planning may require attention to:

• recruitment channels;

• access to technical education;

• workplace facilities and safety;

• parental and caregiving responsibilities;

• transport and accommodation;

• fair remuneration;

• reasonable accommodation;

• progression into supervisory and leadership positions; and

• supplier-development opportunities.

This does not mean lowering technical or safety requirements.

It means examining whether capable people face avoidable barriers to entering and progressing within the sector.

Operational sustainability depends on local capability

Renewable energy infrastructure is expected to operate for many years.

During that period, equipment will need to be inspected, maintained, repaired and eventually replaced. Customers will need to be supported. Payments and billing will need to be administered. Performance data will need to be monitored. Regulatory obligations will continue.

Where all critical knowledge sits with a short-term external contractor, the operating model remains exposed.

Local capability improves continuity.

It creates people who understand:

• the equipment;

• the operating environment;

• the customer base;

• local suppliers;

• regulatory requirements;

• seasonal conditions; and

• the practical realities of maintaining the asset.

This does not remove the need for international expertise. It places that expertise within a deliberate transfer and succession structure.

EOR in Africa’s experience with the Green Mini-Grid Programme

EOR in Africa supported the Green Mini-Grid Programme for AFD through supervisory consulting, technical assistance and programme oversight.

At an earlier stage of delivery, the programme had established 60 mini-grids across eight counties, connecting approximately 13,200 households and reaching around 66,000 people.

Support included:

• programme performance monitoring;

• compliance and risk oversight;

• contractual and resource verification;

• stakeholder coordination;

• technical assistance;

• governance support; and

• programme administration and management.

The programme has since expanded to the 80 mini-grids and 20,000 connections reported at its 2026 commissioning.

This work demonstrates that major energy-access programmes require more than technical installation.

They also depend on governance, specialist resources, reporting, coordination and people who can maintain delivery across multiple locations and stakeholders.

How should energy projects measure people-centred impact?

A practical impact framework can examine five areas.

1. Access

• Number of new connections

• Households and institutions reached

• Reliability and hours of supply

• Affordability of connection and consumption

2. Economic use

• Businesses connected

• New enterprises established

• Longer operating hours

• New equipment or productive activities enabled

• Local procurement and supplier participation

3. Social value

• Clinics and schools connected

• Street lighting and security

• Refrigeration and water infrastructure supported

• Improved digital access

• Participation by underserved communities

4. Employment and skills

• Direct and indirect jobs created

• Percentage of positions filled locally

• Employees trained or certified

• Skills transferred

• Retention and progression

• Representation of women and underrepresented groups

5. Long-term capability

• Local operations and maintenance capacity

• Succession plans

• Knowledge retained in-country

• Payroll and employment compliance

• Institutional and regulatory capacity

• Ability to maintain reliable service over time

These measures help distinguish installed infrastructure from infrastructure that is creating substantive value.

The transition will be delivered by people

Africa’s energy transition requires capital, technology and effective regulation.

It also requires people.

Engineers must design the systems. Finance teams must make projects bankable. Environmental and social specialists must help ensure that the development is appropriate. Technicians must install and maintain the assets. Managers must coordinate delivery. Local operators must sustain the infrastructure after commissioning.

The human dimension is not an additional benefit attached to the energy transition.

It is part of the infrastructure required to make the transition work.

Projects should still report their megawatts. But they should also report the people connected, the jobs created, the skills developed and the local capabilities left behind.

Because the real value of electricity is not contained in the infrastructure itself.

It lies in what people can do once the power is available.