President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday declared that Nigeria has assumed the position of Africa’s pacesetter in renewable energy capacity development following the inauguration of the continent’s first Renewable Energy College and a Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant in Kogi State.
The President said the commissioning of the Barefoot Renewable Energy College, Osara (BARECKS), and the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s drive to build the skilled workforce required to power Africa’s energy transition.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented the President at the commissioning ceremony held at the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, conveyed Tinubu’s satisfaction with the completion of what he described as a world-class institution built to international standards.
According to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, the President said the college answers the long-standing question of who would build and maintain Africa’s renewable energy future.
‘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’, Tinubu said.
The President noted that although Nigeria is richly endowed with sunlight, wind, biomass and water resources, the country’s greatest challenge has been converting those natural advantages into electricity generation and employment opportunities.
He expressed confidence that the new institution would bridge that gap by producing the skilled manpower required to drive the renewable energy sector.
Tinubu recalled that the project began barely two years ago with a groundbreaking ceremony on the same site, describing its completion as evidence that purposeful leadership can deliver tangible results.
‘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.
He observed that while Nigerians had become accustomed to projects whose foundation stones often outlast those who laid them, the college fulfilled its promise within schedule.
The President explained that the institution was established as a vocational and technical college to address what he described as 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.
According to him, the college will train technicians, installers, operators and maintenance professionals with practical competence in renewable energy technologies, equipping them with internationally recognised certifications that will enable them to secure employment, establish businesses and compete globally.
‘A certificate issued in Osara must one day command respect in Nairobi and in Frankfurt,’ Tinubu added.
He appealed to development partners, the private sector, international organisations and research institutions to collaborate with the college in expanding research, innovation and technical training, assuring that Nigeria is prepared to lead such partnerships.
The President commended the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology and the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria for their persistence in taking the project from conception to completion.
He also praised Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, as well as the government and people of the state, for providing the enabling environment that made the project possible.
Earlier, Governor Ododo described the inauguration of the college as evidence that Nigeria is advancing on the path of sustainable development through strategic investment in human capital.
He said the institution would strengthen the nation’s energy sector by building technical capacity, attracting investment and creating economic opportunities for host communities.
The governor also commended the Federal Government for addressing Nigeria’s electricity challenges through strategic investments in the knowledge economy, saying the initiative justifies continued support for the Tinubu administration.
Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, described the project as a major investment in human capital development and job creation.
According to him, the initiative reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to building a knowledge-driven economy, stressing that Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy depends on developing a highly skilled workforce in strategic sectors such as renewable energy.
He urged the pioneer trainees to uphold high technical and ethical standards and serve as worthy ambassadors of the institution.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, described the college as the first of its kind in Nigeria.
He disclosed that the facility is equipped with smart classrooms, battery energy laboratories, a mini-grid simulation centre, energy efficiency laboratories and other state-of-the-art training facilities designed to produce highly skilled professionals in renewable energy research and development in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr. Ahmed Tijjani Anaje, welcomed the establishment of the institution, saying it would equip young Nigerians with valuable technical skills and enable them to contribute meaningfully to national development.
He thanked the federal government for locating the landmark institution in Kogi State.