Tuesday 28 September, Port-Louis.

Eight young Mauritian engineering graduates were awarded the MARENA Scholarship Scheme during an award ceremony held at Port Louis. This scholarship, the first of its kind, of the Mauritius Renewable Energy Agency (MARENA) is sponsored by the UNDP under the GCF project “Transformational Shift to a Low Carbon Economy in the Republic of Mauritius” and the British High Commission. Intended for unemployed engineering graduates and technicians, the initiative aims to build capacity locally to ensure an integrated approach to sustainably achieve the long-term national renewable energy targets.

In his keynote address, The Honourable Georges Pierre Lesjongard, Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, mentioned that the beneficiaries of the scheme will benefit from tuition fees covering two courses, namely; (i) a short course on PV Energy Systems from the University of Mauritius and (ii) a course on the Installation & Maintenance of Small-Scale PV Systems from the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development (MITD). The Minister also reiterated the commitment of the Government to shift towards a low carbon economy by promoting the use of renewable energy with a series of measures, notably, an updated renewable energy roadmap for the electricity sector which will help determine the energy mix to achieve the 60% target set for 2030.

Addressing the audience, Ms. Amanda Serumaga, UNDP Resident Representative in Mauritius and Seychelles, acknowledged the unwavering commitment of the Government of Mauritius to enable the promotion of the deployment and the use of renewable energy at national level to achieve 60% of the country’s energy by 2030. She highlighted UNDP’s contribution to the local shift towards the decarbonization of the Mauritian economy through various initiatives, beginning in 2009 with the development of the grid code for small scale distributed generation which laid the foundation for electricity generation from renewable energy at a national level. Ms. Serumaga also emphasized the importance of having an integrated and inclusive approach which engages society at all levels, commending the parties championing the MARENA Scholarship scheme for using the right approach to bridge current gaps and to meet the long-term market demands.

For her part, Her Excellency Ms. Charlotte Pierre, British High Commissioner in Mauritius, stated that the Government of the United Kingdom is pleased to collaborate with MARENA and the UNDP in the initiative to develop the green jobs framework in Mauritius. She acknowledged that green jobs are essential for sustainable development and to address the various challenges associated with climate change.

The ceremony also included the signature of a memorandum of understanding between MARENA and the British High Commission and was concluded with the award of the scholarship certificates to the eight graduates.