PHOTOS: Tinubu Commissions Africa’s First Renewable Energy College in Kogi, Set to Train Thousands Annually, Create Green Jobs
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday 4th of August, 2026 commissioned Africa’s first renewable energy college and a green hydrogen research plant in Kogi State, declaring that Nigeria has assumed the position of pacesetter in renewable energy capacity development across the continent.
Vice President Kashim Shettima performed the ceremony on behalf of the President at the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, unveiling the Barefoot Renewable Energy College (BARECKS) and the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant.
Tinubu described the institution as a world-class facility completed to international standards. He noted that Nigeria, though “abundantly endowed with sunlight, wind, biomass and water,” had long struggled with “converting its endowment into megawatts, and megawatts into jobs.” That challenge, he said, will now be addressed by the college.
“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 through his deputy. “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.”
He observed that the college answers the question of whose hands will build and maintain Africa’s energy future. Built as a vocational and technical institution, it aims to close what he called “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,” Tinubu stated. The college will train technicians, installers, operators and maintenance professionals with practical competence in renewable energy technologies. Graduates will receive internationally recognised certificates of proficiency, enabling them to secure employment, start businesses or compete globally. “A certificate issued in Osara must one day command respect in Nairobi and in Frankfurt,” he added.
The President expressed satisfaction with the project’s rapid completion. “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 called on development partners, the private sector, international organisations and research institutions to collaborate with the college on research, innovation and technical training, assuring that Nigeria is prepared to host and lead such efforts.
Tinubu applauded the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology and the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria for seeing the project through from concept to commissioning. He also commended Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and the people of the state for providing an enabling environment.
Governor Ododo said the inauguration signals Nigeria’s commitment to sustainable development through investment in human capital. He noted that the college will strengthen the energy sector via capacity building, attract investment and create opportunities for communities, while justifying 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 and job creation, reflecting the Federal Government’s drive toward a knowledge-driven economy. He said Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy depends on developing a skilled workforce in strategic sectors such as renewable energy, and urged pioneer trainees to uphold high technical and ethical standards.
Energy Commission of Nigeria Director-General Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi said the institution the first of its kind in Nigeria is equipped with smart classrooms, battery energy laboratories, a mini-grid simulation centre, energy efficiency laboratories and other modern facilities. It will 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, said the college will equip young people with valuable technical skills to contribute to national development and thanked the Federal Government for locating it in Kogi State.
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