Tinubu to Commission Africa’s First Barefoot Renewable Energy College in Kogi, Set to Train Thousands Annually, Create Green Jobs
Israel Onoruoiza Reporting
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, will on Tuesday, 4th of August 2026, commission Nigeria’s landmark Barefoot Renewable Energy College, Osara (BARECKS) in Kogi State, Africa’s first institution dedicated to practical renewable energy skills training.
The ceremony, set for 10:00 a.m. at the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, will also be attended by Kogi State Governor Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, the Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, and other key stakeholders.
It is being hosted by the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) under the leadership of Director-General/CEO Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, CEng, MIMechE, FNSE.
The college sits at the heart of a carefully integrated renewable energy complex developed by the ECN at CUSTECH. The wider site includes a Green Hydrogen Research & Demonstration Pilot Plant, a solar farm designed to deliver 24-hour off-grid electricity to the entire complex and surrounding university facilities, plus supporting infrastructure such as drainages, streetlights and car parks. Together, the projects give practical expression to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda of clean energy transition, youth empowerment, skills development and sustainable industrial growth.
Modelled on the global Barefoot College framework, BARECKS is built for inclusion which will train both literate and non-literate Nigerians, especially young people and women in solar panel installation, system maintenance, mini-grid development, repairs and other clean energy technologies. The goal is to produce employable skills, promote community self-reliance and speed up rural electrification across the country.
During construction, the Supervising Engineer for the Barefoot College, Engr. Rogers Olushegun Adeji revealed to the journalist, Mr. Israel who conducted an on-site tour, describing the scale of activity across the complex. “In the ECN Complex you have a whole lot of projects going on. You have the Barefoot Renewable Energy College, Green Hydrogen Project, Drainages, Solar Farm, Streetlights, Car Parks, etc.,” he said.
He further outlined the main building, “The Barefoot Renewable Energy College Admin Building sits on a 55m length by 15m width land which consists of the Training Rooms, Laboratory, Offices, Hallway, Lecture Halls, Conference Room, etc.” At the time, the administrative block, classrooms and training halls, factory and assembly areas, perimeter fencing, access roads with drainage, car park and recreational centre were already in their final stages.
Running in parallel, the Green Hydrogen Research & Demonstration Pilot Plant is powered by the on-site solar farm. It will produce green hydrogen through electrolysis for industrial use, energy storage, research, demonstration and possible future export, positioning Kogi and Nigeria within the emerging global hydrogen economy. Supervising Engineer Engr. John earlier confirmed that foundational works had been completed, structural elements were advancing, equipment was being staged and preparations for the electrolyzers were progressing steadily.
The supervisors noted that once fully operational, the college is expected to train thousands of people every year, create green jobs, reduce youth unemployment in Kogi Central and help close Nigeria’s renewable energy skills gap.
With the commissioning now fixed for Tuesday, the ECN Complex at CUSTECH Osara moves from construction to delivery, turning infrastructure into long-term economic opportunity, energy security and climate-resilient development for Kogi State and the nation.
