Renewable energy job market growth in Botswana, Ghana and Mozambique

At TRS Staffing Solutions we carefully monitor the hottest trends in specialist engineering recruitment around the globe. Our insight into South Africa’s energy and mining projects is fundamental to the way in which we approach the recruitment process. Our knowledge and expertise allow us to source top quality candidates for opportunities across a wide range of sectors, including professional, technical and engineering positions in Oil and Gas, Mining and Metal, Power and Renewable, Infrastructure, Construction and IT. As the leading Engineering Staffing Agency, TRS has produced this article to provide in-depth knowledge of the job market, helping you in your quest to find job opportunities and leading you through the recruitment process every step of the way. 

South Africa is home to more than 30% of the world's total mineral reserves and is an important producer of gold, diamonds and platinum metals. Despite the recent slowdown in global economic growth and the stagnation of infrastructure projects in developed markets, the continued demand for natural resources, particularly to support the development, urbanisation and industrialisation of emerging markets, has significantly intensified the focus and global importance of Africa's mineral wealth. Due to Botswana's relatively advanced industrial sector, there is a demand for engineers in Mining, Renewables and Construction. The government, business and labour have signed an agreement in order to save jobs in the mining industry. Australian company A-Cap Resources is investing 351 million Australian dollars into Botswana’s’ first uranium mine, which is conveniently located near roads, a railway network and power supply. We can expect this to result in the creation of a high number of jobs to the local community of Botswana.

South Africa is currently in the midst of a Power and Renewable boom. As South Africa is dependent on imported petrol and diesel due to limited primary energy resource, it is working hard to develop alternative energy sources for transportation to replace fossil fuel. The country is becoming aware of the high potential in alternative energy and is investing more and more in solar, biomass and wind energy systems. Renewable energy in the form of solar projects has resulted in the creation of approximately 20,000 jobs in the last few years. South Africa is trying to reduce the use of crude oil by expanding private investments in solar and wind projects. Furthermore, the government has set the target of creating 5 million jobs by 2020. Even more jobs could be created from new energy industries, such as expanded solar water heating supply and installation.

The Mulilo-Sonnedix-Prieska PV project is an example of the way in which renewable energy is taking South Africa by storm and boosting job numbers in its wake. Based in the Northern Cape region, it is a community project aimed at building 86 MWp solar farms, which will eventually contribute to supplying electricity to 20,000 homes. Also, in the Northern Cape region of South Africa the Bokpoort Concentrated Solar Power Project is being launched and has already created around 1300 construction jobs.

Besides the Mining and Solar sector, both Green Building and Wind power have the potential for growth in the country. Green Building is attracting more and more business to South Africa and is aided through cloud computing. Engineers of the future will need to be more innovative and limit the environmental impact at their construction by conserving as much energy and water as possible. As for wind power, the Cookhouse wind farm in Cape Town is the biggest wind system in South Africa, with 66 turbines generating 138MW of clean power.  Meanwhile, a 30 million dollar manufacturing plant is hoping to build 150 wind towers a year for this growing market (source here) 

As there is a shortage of skilled engineers in SA, finding the right talent can be challenging. Currently, there are golden employment opportunities for Electrical Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, PDDM (Project Data & Document Management), Project Controls Specialists and Project Administrators.

An in-depth knowledge of South Africa’s current and future plans for expansion means that TRS Staffing Solutions can offer candidates and clients unparalleled support in a range of recruitment services and Staffing Renewable energy projects. TRS is recruiting in South Africa for roles across a number of locations in Africa, including Mozambique, Botswana, Ghana and Guinea. Subscribe to our Newsletter for more TRS News or contact your local office to discuss further opportunities.