President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated Africa’s first renewable energy college, the Barefoot Renewable Energy College, Osara, BARECKS, and the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant in Kogi State, describing the institution as a world-class edifice completed to international standards.
Vice President Kashim Shettima inaugurated the college on behalf of the President at the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara.
Tinubu said while Nigeria is abundantly endowed with sunlight, wind, biomass and water, the challenge had been converting that endowment into megawatts and jobs. He noted that the college will address that gap.
“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,” the President said. “Nigeria assumes, from today, the position of pacesetter in renewable energy capacity development across Africa.”
He stated that the college was built to close the shortage of competent technical manpower in Africa’s energy transition and will produce technicians, installers and maintenance professionals with internationally recognised certificates.
He also commended State Government and people of Kogi State for providing the environment that made the project possible.
Earlier, Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo said the inauguration of the college was a clear indication that Nigeria is on the path to sustainable development through investment in human capital.
He noted that the college will strengthen the country’s energy sector through capacity building, while attracting investment and creating opportunities for communities.
The governor commended the federal government for tackling the nation’s power challenges through strategic investments in the knowledge economy, describing the initiative as one that justifies continued support for the Tinubu administration.
Also speaking, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, described the project as a major investment in human capital development and job creation, stating that it reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to building a knowledge-driven economy.
Udeh maintained that Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy depends on developing a skilled workforce in strategic sectors such as renewable energy, urging the pioneer trainees to uphold high technical and ethical standards as well as serve as worthy ambassadors of the institution.
On his part, the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, described the institution as the first of its kind in Nigeria.
He said the facility is equipped with smart classrooms, battery energy laboratories, a mini-grid simulation centre, energy efficiency laboratories, and other modern training facilities.
Abdullahi explained that the college will produce highly skilled professionals in renewable energy research and development in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Also, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr. Ahmed Tijjani Anaje, said the project will provide young people with valuable technical skills, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to national development, even as he thanked the federal government for locating the institution in the state.
