The bootcamp training focused on hands-on exercises and simulation of optimization models in Energy Economics and Governance. It also aimed at enhancing the soft skills and research capacity of graduate students.
More than 38 Ph.D. and MA students from the University of Dar es Salaam School of Economics (UDSoEC) and Makerere University Business School (MUBS) participated in the training on August 10-19, 2022. It was led by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and organized at the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) in Arusha. Tanzania.
Useful for future carriers
One participant, Abdon Msechu, said that the training was relevant as it gave him an insight into the field of energy economics, modeling energy markets, optimization, and planning using Python which sparked his interest in specializing in that field.
Another student, Abdillah Issa, pursuing a Master of Arts in Applied Economics commented that Python modeling was a new energy modeling technique to him that he found multifunctional and user-friendly compared to other software. The bootcamp inspired him to pursue his Ph.D. in energy economics.
Participatory learning
One big advantage with the training was, according to another participant, Adbllah Issa, the participatory approach where each participant installed Python and its packages and run various do files prepared for learning. They worked with Jupyter notebook, upload different files/, and practiced energy modeling, and other related areas such as optimization and regression.
Dr. Stephen Kirama one of the organizers calls upon all Ph.D. and MA students to continue practicing what they have learned. He will organize a group so they can keep on helping each other and he will also arrange another boot camp next year. Other EfDT researchers who participated in the training were Dr. Martin Chegere, Dr. Onesmo Selejio, and Dr. Rosemary Taylor