- Says Nigeria now leads Africa in renewable energy capacity development
By Chesa Chesa
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday commissioned Africa’s first Renewable Energy College, the Barefoot Renewable Energy College, Osara (BARECKS), alongside the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant in Kogi State, declaring that Nigeria has become Africa’ pacesetter in renewable energy capacity development.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the commissioning ceremony held at the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Tinubu described the institution as a world-class facility completed to international standards and designed to bridge Africa’s critical shortage of skilled manpower in the renewable energy sector.
The President said Nigeria’s greatest challenge had not been a lack of renewable energy resources but the inability to convert its abundant sunlight, wind, biomass and water into electricity and economic opportunities.
He said the establishment of the college would address that gap by producing technicians, installers, operators and maintenance professionals with practical expertise in renewable energy technologies.
“This is the first institution of its kind on the African continent, modelled on the celebrated vocational colleges of India that turned unlettered grandmothers into solar engineers.
“If that method could light the villages of Rajasthan, it can light the settlements of Kogi, Ondo and Cross River. Nigeria assumes, from today, the position of pacesetter in renewable energy capacity development across Africa,” the President said.
Reflecting on the project’s completion, Tinubu noted that the institution had fulfilled its promise within two years of its groundbreaking.
“Two years ago, we stood on this ground for the groundbreaking of this institution, with red earth underfoot and the ambition of a few determined Nigerians for company. Today, we stand before a world-class edifice, completed to international standards,” he said.
According to the President, the college was established to close the widest gap in Africa’s energy transition—the shortage of competent technical manpower.
“Our continent has never suffered a deficit of intention. We have suffered the scarcity of hands trained to execute them,” he said.
Tinubu added that graduates of the institution would earn internationally recognised certificates, enabling them to secure employment, establish businesses and compete globally.
“A certificate issued in Osara must one day command respect in Nairobi and in Frankfurt,” he said.
He called on development partners, the private sector, international organisations and research institutions to collaborate with the college in expanding research, innovation and technical training, assuring them that Nigeria was ready to lead such partnerships.
The President commended the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, and the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, for driving the project from conception to completion. He also praised Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and the people of Kogi State for creating the enabling environment for the project.
Earlier, Governor Ododo described the commissioning as another milestone in Nigeria’s journey towards sustainable development through investment in human capital.
He said the college would strengthen the nation’s energy sector through capacity building, attract investments and create economic opportunities for local communities.
The governor commended the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s energy challenges through strategic investments in science, technology and the knowledge economy, describing the project as further justification for continued support for the Tinubu administration.
Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, described the institution as a strategic investment in human capital development and job creation, saying it aligns with the Federal Government’s vision of building a knowledge-driven economy.
He noted that Nigeria’s aspiration to become a one-trillion-dollar economy depends largely on developing a skilled workforce in critical sectors such as renewable energy, urging the pioneer trainees to uphold high technical and ethical standards.
