President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commissioned Africa’s first renewable energy college and a Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant in Kogi State, marking a major step in Nigeria’s drive to build the skilled workforce needed for its clean energy transition.
The facilities, the Barefoot Renewable Energy College, Osara (BARECKS) and the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant, were inaugurated on Tuesday at the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented the President.
President Tinubu described the college as a landmark institution that will equip Nigerians with the technical skills required to unlock the country’s vast renewable energy potential.
He said Nigeria is richly endowed with renewable energy resources, including sunlight, wind, biomass and water, but has yet to fully translate those assets into electricity generation, jobs and economic growth. “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,” Tinubu said. “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.”
According to the President, the college is designed to address one of the biggest obstacles to Africa’s energy transition, the shortage of skilled technical personnel.
Tinubu said the institution will provide vocational and technical training for renewable energy technicians, installers, operators and maintenance professionals, helping to build the workforce required to support Nigeria’s growing clean energy sector.
He also called on development partners, private companies, research institutions and international organisations to collaborate with the college in advancing research, innovation and technical education.
The President praised the speed with which the project was delivered, noting that it was completed just two years after 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.
He added that timely completion demonstrates what can be achieved through focused leadership and effective project execution.
The commissioning comes as Nigeria accelerates implementation of its Energy Transition Plan (ETP), which targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.
While progress has been made, experts say the country still faces significant challenges in expanding renewable energy, particularly in rural electrification and off-grid power deployment.
According to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Nigeria requires at least five million off-grid solar systems to provide electricity to millions of underserved and unserved households.
Recent reports also indicate growing international support for Nigeria’s clean energy ambitions. Financial flows for clean energy projects in developing countries, including Nigeria, have reached $21.57 billion, while the European Union announced a €545 million package in 2025 to accelerate renewable energy investment across Africa.
