UNN-VC flags off construction of World Bank Centre of Excellence building

By Ikemefuna Ikem

Prof Charles Igwe, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has flagged off the construction of a two-story building of the World Bank-funded Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development (ACE-SPED) in the university.

Flagging off the building construction on Thursday in Nsukka, the VC commended the World Bank for selecting UNN proposal among others for the establishment of the ACE-SPED.

He said that the university will use its manpower to ensure that the objective of the centre which is aimed at providing solutions to the problems of energy and power with local content is achieved.

"I'm happily flagging off the building project of the Centre, I implore the contractor handling the project to complete it at the specified period.

"This is the kind of thing I like to be associated with because my administration is results-oriented," he said.

The VC commended Prof. Emenike Ejiogu, the Director of the Center, who he said led the team that did the proposal that the World Bank selected among many others from the country.

In his remark, Ejiogu, who is also the Dean Faculty of Engineering, UNN said that the centre was selected by the World Bank among 134 proposals from Nigeria and other West African countries.

He said that the mission of the center is to research indigenous technology that would solve the problems of energy and power in West African countries.

He disclosed that among many students the centre has over 35 foreign students from West Africa countries currently doing their Masters and Ph.D. programmes.

''The two-story building when completed has laboratories, workshop halls, lecture theatres, and office accomodations, among others.

"The centre's mandate is to develop indigenous technology in Nigeria and West Africa, as well as create a functional problem-solving Centre of Excellence with the capacity to carry out power systems and energy development, knowledge transfer, and human capital upgrade.

"This centre started operation in UNN in 2019 and has graduated some Masters and Ph.D. students as well as sponsored many students on scholarship and industrial attachment within and outside the country," he said.

The director commended UNN-VC for providing temporary accommodation to the centre as well as land in the university to build a permanent office for the centre.

Ejiogu noted further that their research team had produced Electric Insulator Ceramic with 100 per cent local content and discovered ore from rice husk, a design for energy conversion that would help to produce laptop and cellphone batteries.

"This is an indication that the centre has hit the ground running in its mission to local content in solving the problems of power and energy.

"Recently UNN signed a partnership agreement with some Japanese firms to develop software for them, it's this centre that will handle this task.

"The office block of the centre flagged off by the VC today will be completed within 10 months duration as agreed," he said.

Also speaking, Prof Owuamaeze Illoeje, UNN's emeritus professor of Mechanical Engineering who is also a member of the Centre said that the centre will find solutions to power and energy problems in Africa.

"I commend Prof. Ejiogu for attracting this project. I was still around the faculty of engineering he told me about his proposal to the World Bank for the establishment of the Africa Centre of Excellence Impact Project.

"I saw that what he was doing was fantastic, he had a very good idea, and he knew how to pursue it, so I gave him my maximum support, both intellectual, psychological, and social support he needed to move ahead.

"The project when completed will serve as a regional hub focused on addressing the energy and power challenges of sub-Saharan Africa through education, research
and collaboration with sectoral partners," he said.

Mrs. Josephine Mbunwe, the World Bank Environmental and Social Safeguard Officer said that she was satisfied with the work done so far. She assured that World Bank will continue to monitor the project to ensure that the building work was carried out to standard and specification.

Mr. Roland Mbaitessem, the site engineer from the Ivory Link International International Nigeria limited assured that the building will be completed and handed over in ten months time.