Olawuyi urges solar trainees to turn skills into businesses
Ambassador Mutiu Olawuyi has urged graduates of the first set of solar installation and engineering trainees of the Mustafa Olawuyi Foundation to establish businesses and create employment opportunities with the skills acquired during their training.
Olawuyi gave the charge on Wednesday at the passing-out ceremony of the trainees in Ikirun, Osun State, where he described Nigeria’s electricity challenges as an opportunity for young people to build sustainable businesses around renewable energy.
Speaking on the theme, “The Sun Is Free. Build Something Worth Powering,” the ambassador said the growing demand for reliable electricity had created opportunities for solar entrepreneurs to provide alternative power solutions for homes, businesses, health facilities and religious centres.
He identified inadequate capital, customer distrust and the time required to build a sustainable business as challenges the graduates might encounter, advisong them to start small, prioritise quality installations, understand customers’ electricity needs, maintain proper financial records and continually improve their technical knowledge.
Olawuyi also urged the graduates to create employment rather than depend solely on paid jobs, challenging them to employ at least one apprentice within their first year of operation.
He called on the foundation to support the trainees beyond graduation by connecting them with financing opportunities, suppliers and potential customers.
In his opening remarks, Engineer Abdulhakeem Olawuyi commended the foundation’s founder for his foresight in using skills acquisition to address poverty.
He highlighted the importance of the training amid repeated national grid collapses and urged the graduates to become worthy ambassadors of the foundation by sharing their knowledge with others.
The founder of the foundation, Engineer Mustafa Adeleke Olawuyi, expressed happiness over the successful completion of the training and appreciated his children for their contributions towards organising the programme.
He reiterated the importance of equipping people with practical skills that could improve their livelihoods and promote the adoption of renewable energy.
Also speaking, an Islamic scholar from Ikirun, Habibullahi Balogun, popularly known as Alfa Jeje, emphasised the importance of seeking knowledge, noting that the Qur’an encourages learning.
He urged the graduates to give back to their communities, particularly as they had received the training free of charge, and to use the opportunity to improve their lives and those of others.
One of the graduands, Muhibi Mus’ab, expressed appreciation to the Mustafa Olawuyi Foundation for providing him with the opportunity to acquire practical skills in solar installation and engineering.
He said the training had broadened his understanding of renewable energy and equipped him with technical knowledge he could apply to solve electricity challenges and pursue entrepreneurial opportunities.
Another graduand, Tijani Waliyat, also thanked the foundation for the training, describing the opportunity as a valuable step towards gaining practical experience and becoming self-reliant.
She noted that the programme had exposed her to the potential of solar energy and expressed hope that the skills acquired would help her establish herself in the renewable energy sector.
The eight-week Solar Training Exercise 2026, held under the theme “Powering the Future with Clean Energy,” ran daily from 10am to 4pm.
The programme was designed to provide participants with practical and technical skills, certification upon completion and access to employment opportunities in the renewable energy sector.
