ECOWAS-Funded Solar PV Facility Inaugurated At Bayero University In Nigeria

In a significant step toward enhancing sustainable energy access in West Africa, a solar photovoltaic (PV) installation was officially unveiled at the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at Bayero University in Kano, Nigeria. With a total capacity of 79kWp of solar PV, 58kW of inverter, and 60KWH of battery storage, the solar facility aims to provide stable, clean, affordable, and sustainable electricity to the Department and the university community.

The project was made possible through the financial support of the ECOWAS Commission, facilitated by the ECOWAS Special Intervention Fund (ESIF), and implemented by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (ECREEE). The inauguration ceremony witnessed the presence of key dignitaries including Sediko Douka, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy, and Digitalisation; Professor Nazifi Abdullahi Darma, ECOWAS Commissioner for Internal Affairs; Professor Mohamed Sani Gumel, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Bayero University; and Engr. Samuel Bem Ayangeaor, Assistant Director of Renewable and Rural Power Access Department, representing the Nigerian Minister of Power.

During the event, Professor Gumel expressed gratitude to ECREEE for their support, highlighting the project’s significance in fostering collaboration and advancing sustainable energy. Sediko Douka, on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission, commended the university for its commitment to cleaner energy and emphasized the importance of proper management for the facility’s sustainability. Professor Darma praised the university’s efforts toward cleaner and more reliable electricity access, foreseeing broader impacts on energy capabilities and adoption of renewable energy technologies.

Engr. Ayangeaor lauded the initiative as a contribution to Nigeria’s energy access targets and emphasized the importance of sustainable electricity access in the educational sector. The project, funded through ESIF, reflects ECOWAS’s commitment to promoting clean energy solutions across the region, with a focus on supporting productive uses of electricity (PUE).

Similar initiatives are underway in other ECOWAS Member States, demonstrating a collective effort towards advancing sustainable energy access in West Africa.