Lekela, the renewable power generation company that delivers utility-scale projects across Africa, presented the community of Ras Ghareb with the job employment opportunities and training options on offer, by both Lekela and its partners, on the occasion of West Bakr wind farm project's construction phase which has now been inaugurated. Hundreds of local youth of the city of Ras Ghareb were present at the event, in addition to City Council Head, Lekela partners and subcontractors, Siemens Gamesa and Siemens EM. In its commitment to creating shared value with local communities, Lekela has committed to a programme of long-term community and environmental initiatives to the Ras Ghareb community over the lifetime of West Bakr wind farm. The plan covers three phases: pre-operational phase; construction phase; and operational phase. Faisal Eissa, General Manager, Egypt, Lekela said: "Lekela invests in local communities to build a lasting, positive impact. We aim to create up to 550 job employment opportunities during peak construction, many of which will come from the Ras Ghareb community; and we also plan to qualify them for further similar projects in the area of Suez Gulf”. Eissa Added: “The ‘Vocational Training Program' is scheduled to start in March this year and will run for 18 months, with the contribution of Siemens Gamesa and its main subcontractors”. As well as creating hundreds of employment opportunities during construction, Lekela will seek to support the local people to establish small enterprises that can serve the project directly or indirectly such as waste management and catering. Ayman Saad, Siemens Gamesa Managing Director in Egypt commented: “We are very thrilled to have reached the construction phase for West Bakr project, as we also have plans to invest in long-term strategies through Lekela's Community Investment Plan which focuses on enterprise, education and environmental initiatives to address the socio-economic development challenges faced by the local communities in the country."
