Nigeria has taken another step toward addressing the growing demand for skilled workers in the clean energy sector with the inauguration of the Barefoot Renewable Energy College in Osara, Kogi State.
The vocational institution, described as the first of its kind in Africa, is expected to train engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs and other professionals in renewable energy technologies through hands-on, competency-based learning.
The facility, established by the Energy Commission of Nigeria under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, also includes modern laboratories, photovoltaic installation workshops, battery energy storage units, solar thermal training facilities and inverter laboratories to support research and practical instruction.
Speaking at the inauguration, Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, said the college was modelled after India’s Barefoot College and designed to make renewable energy education accessible regardless of educational background, while building the technical workforce needed for Nigeria’s transition to clean energy.
The institution was commissioned alongside the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant by Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who described the project as a strategic investment in innovation, skills development and sustainable economic growth.
Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo welcomed the project, saying it strengthens the state’s drive to attract investment and position itself as a hub for industrial development, while the Vice-Chancellor of the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Professor Abdulrahman Salawu, said the new college would expand opportunities for research, innovation and workforce development in the renewable energy sector.
END
