$1trn Economy Drive: Tinubu opens Africa’s first renewable....

President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated Africa’s first Renewable Energy College and a Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant in Kogi State, positioning the facilities as strategic investments to develop the skilled workforce needed to support Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.

The President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the inauguration in Osara, Kogi State, said the new institutions would help bridge one of the biggest obstacles to Nigeria’s energy transition by producing the technical manpower required to convert the country’s vast renewable energy resources into electricity, jobs and businesses.

Tinubu said although Nigeria is richly endowed with solar, wind, biomass and water resources, the major challenge has been transforming those resources into megawatts and translating electricity generation into economic opportunities. He noted that the Barefoot Renewable Energy College was established to close that skills gap and strengthen the country’s renewable energy value chain.

Describing the institution as the first of its kind in Africa, the President said it was modelled after India’s successful vocational renewable energy colleges that trained rural women as solar engineers. According to him, Nigeria is now positioned to lead renewable energy capacity development on the continent.

He expressed satisfaction that the project was completed within two years after its groundbreaking, describing the college as a world-class facility built to international standards.

According to the President, the institution will train technicians, installers, operators and maintenance professionals with practical competencies in renewable energy technologies, while its graduates will receive internationally recognised certifications that will enhance their employability, support entrepreneurship and enable them to compete in global labour markets.

Tinubu called on development partners, private investors, international organisations and research institutions to collaborate with the college to expand research, innovation and technical training, assuring them that Nigeria is ready to lead such partnerships.

Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo described the project as a strategic investment in human capital that would strengthen Nigeria’s energy sector through capacity development while attracting new investments and creating economic opportunities for host communities.

Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Udeh, said the project reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to building a knowledge-driven economy through investments in skills development and job creation.

He noted that achieving Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a $1 trillion economy would depend largely on developing a highly skilled workforce in strategic sectors, particularly renewable energy, urging the pioneer students to uphold high professional and ethical standards.

Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, said the college is equipped with smart classrooms, battery energy laboratories, an energy efficiency laboratory and a mini-grid simulation centre designed to produce globally competitive renewable energy professionals.

He added that the institution would serve as a centre for renewable energy research, innovation and technology development, supporting the implementation of the Federal Government’s energy transition agenda.

The Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, DrDrhmed Tijjani Anaje, said the project would equip young Nigerians with practical technical skills, boost employment opportunities and contribute to sustainable economic development.