Safer digital and green transitions in East Africa’s energy and maritime sectors

The maritime and energy sectors are at the forefront of two global transformations. Digital technologies are reshaping engineering practice, while the transition towards low-carbon energy systems and alternative fuels is redefining how infrastructure is designed, operated and maintained. While these transitions present significant opportunities for sustainable development, they also introduce complex operational and safety challenges that require engineers with new knowledge, competencies and adaptability. Having a more capable engineering workforce would strengthen resilience, improve safety performance and support sustainable technological transformation in maritime and energy sectors.

Across East Africa, technology adoption is advancing faster than workforce capability development, and, there is growing concern that the current workforce may not possess the full range of competencies required to safely and effectively manage emerging technologies and complex systems. With the support of Lloyd’s Register Foundation, Moi University and its regional partners are helping address this challenge by building the engineering skills needed to enable the safe adoption of digital and green technologies across the maritime and energy sectors.

Creating meaningful and sustainable change begins with understanding the problem. Between January and March 2026, the PLEASE project conducted a comprehensive Skills Needs Assessment involving stakeholders from academia, industry, professional bodies and government agencies across East Africa. The assessment identified significant competency gaps in emerging digital and green technologies, including:

• Offshore and marine energy systems
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning applications
• Cybersecurity for engineering systems
• Alternative fuels and decarbonisation technologies

In addition, the study established limited familiarity with advanced digital tools such as digital twins and virtual reality, which points to a substantial digital capability deficit.

The study also identified barriers that continue to limit workforce development in East Africa region including inadequate access to specialised training and insufficient collaboration between industry and higher education.

This evidence established a clear baseline for intervention while providing industry and policymakers with data to inform future investment in engineering education and professional development. 

The project therefore brought together stakeholders to transform research findings into practical actions for change. In March 2026, representatives from universities, industry, professional institutions, and government agencies met at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to validate the findings of the Skills Needs Assessment. 

The workshop strengthened consensus around the critical engineering capabilities required for safer digital and green transitions while reinforcing collaboration between organisations responsible for engineering education, regulation and industrial practice. Participants recognised that preparing engineers for emerging technologies requires stronger partnerships between universities, employers, regulators and professional bodies so that training keeps pace with rapidly changing industry needs.

Using the evidence generated through the assessment and stakeholder consultations, the project is developing a suite of short courses for engineering students and practising engineers. The courses are being co-designed with industry partners in the energy and maritime sectors to ensure they reflect real industry challenges and emerging technologies while embedding safety throughout the learning experience.

A second regional stakeholder workshop, held in June 2026, brought together representatives from fifteen organisations to review and validate the proposed courses. Participants examined the relevance of each course, identified future skills requirements and recommended improvements to strengthen practical relevance, safety integration and graduate employability.

This collaborative approach ensures that the programmes respond directly to industry demand while supporting continuous professional development and preparing future engineers to work safely with increasingly digital and sustainable engineering systems.

Beyond curriculum development, the PLEASE project is strengthening the wider engineering ecosystem. The project has created new partnerships between universities, industry, regulators and professional institutions that will continue to support workforce development beyond the life of the project. These relationships are helping establish shared ownership of engineering education while improving alignment between academic training and industry expectations.

Through engagement with organisations including the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), Bandari Maritime Academy, universities and industry partners, the project is contributing to a more coordinated regional approach to engineering skills development.

Looking ahead, the project will contribute to building a new generation of engineers equipped to safely implement digital and green technologies across East Africa. By investing in skills development today, the project is helping to ensure that East Africa's transition towards smarter, cleaner and more sustainable engineering systems is supported by a workforce capable of delivering them safely.