UB, South West mayors also seal renewable energy partnership

ADDAX Petroleum Cameroon has donated laboratory equipment to the Faculty of Engineering and Technology of the University of Buea (UB) worth over FCFA 96 million, as well as commit to a Memorandum of Understanding to continue to be of assistance to UB.

The presentation of the equipment and the signing of the M.o.U with UB took place last Friday, April 10, during twin ceremonies that saw the launching of a partnership for renewable energy between UB and South West mayors.

According to Professor Emmanuel Tanyi, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, contacts with ADDAX dates back to January 2013. The Dean upon getting information of what benefits partnering with Addax can provide his institution made a request for support to the General Manager.

His request was fuelled by the lack of efficient laboratory equipment to train students of the faculty of Engineering and Technology. Also, there has been a void in the oil and gas sector where it’s been difficult to find qualified Cameroonians in the area of drilling engineering.

The void has been as a result of lack of quality tools to train Cameroonians in the fields of oil and gas sectors, leaving it in the hands of expatriates.

The industrial automated equipment donated by Addax Petroleum was manufactured by an Italian company with specifications from UB. Capacity building of the staff team on the utilisation of the equipment was carried out by the vendor to enable immediate use was done by the Italian company as part of the package.

The equipment will be used in the domain of Industrial Automation or Automatic Control Engineering. Through inter-university cooperation, the equipment will also be put at the disposal of engineering students in universities around the country given that the equipment is the best any university has in the country.

Roger Beaumont, President General Manager of Addax Petroleum Cameroon Company said the partnership with UB is a win-win, adding that they will remain available to partner with UB in other areas of need. Addax Petroleum has as one of its principal commitment, to improve the quality of education nationwide and has helped many communities to this end.

Nalova Lyonga, Vice-Chancellor of UB thanked Addax for the donations and lauded the mayors of the Southwest for answering the university’s call to invest in the renewable energy potentials in the region.

Horace Ngomo Manga, Secretary General at the Ministry of Higher Education on behalf of the Minister praised the partnership between UB and Addax, as well as that between UB and the South West Mayors aimed at promoting renewable energy. Ngomo said UB is a critical player in development and that the Addax-UB partnership is a true example of cooperation worth emulating.

Going by the partnership signed with the 31 mayors and two government delegates in the region, UB will provide training for council personnel who will in turn move to harness resources for the provision of clean electricity through renewable energy sources like wind, waterfalls and Solar.