ACE-FUELS and Swansea University Conclude Landmark REACH-PSM Programme, Accelerating Africa’s Indigenous Solar Manufacturing Capability
Owerri, Nigeria. July 19, 2026
The Africa Centre of Excellence in Future Energies and Electrochemical Systems (ACE-FUELS) at the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) has successfully concluded a landmark one-week programme under the Resilient Renewable Energy Access Through Community-Driven Holistic Development in Perovskite Solar Module Manufacturing (REACH-PSM) project. Led by Swansea University, United Kingdom, and funded by the UK Government through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Ayrton Challenge Programme, the approximately 3 million GBP initiative is developing sustainable, affordable next-generation perovskite solar module manufacturing capability in Africa, including one of the continent’s first demonstration facilities at ACE-FUELS, FUTO, while embedding circular economy principles through module refurbishment and end-of-life recycling.
Building Technical Sovereignty Through Bilateral Knowledge Exchange and Capacity Development
The intensive programme, held from 12 to 18 July 2026, brought together 6 postdoctoral research associates and 3 doctoral researchers from ACE-FUELS with a Swansea University team comprising 2 senior postdoctoral researchers and 2 doctoral researchers, led by Professor Trystan Watson, for advanced laboratory immersion, practical demonstrations, and bilateral technology transfer in perovskite solar technology. The curriculum covered materials and ink preparation, thin-film deposition, device fabrication, process optimisation, advanced characterisation, quality control, and the critical transition from laboratory-scale research to scalable module production.
The programme was designed as a dual-track engagement: a knowledge exchange between peer research teams, and a train-the-trainer capacity development model that equips ACE-FUELS specialists to cascade acquired knowledge and practical skills to researchers and postgraduate students across the Centre. This dual approach expands ACE-FUELS’ capacity for sustained perovskite solar research and indigenous module development while strengthening the bilateral research partnership between both institutions.
At the programme’s conclusion, the Swansea team commended the quality of ACE-FUELS’ research infrastructure, particularly the capabilities of ElectroLab-X, and praised the enthusiasm, intellectual rigour, and technical aptitude demonstrated by ACE-FUELS researchers throughout the intensive laboratory sessions. They expressed confidence in the Centre’s ability to translate this knowledge into world-class research and locally developed next-generation solar technologies.
A Hub for Africa’s Clean Energy Future
The programme was delivered within ElectroLab-X (Electrochemical Laboratory for Accelerated Breakthroughs and Exponential Energy Technologies), ACE-FUELS’ flagship advanced clean energy research facility at FUTO, commissioned on 25 April 2026 by His Excellency Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON. Designed to accelerate innovation in advanced battery technologies, next-generation solar technologies, hydrogen and electrochemical systems, materials science, and the circular economy, ElectroLab-X provided the world-class infrastructure and specialised equipment required for the hands-on technology transfer at the core of the programme.
ElectroLab-X and the growth of ACE-FUELS were enabled through seed funding under the Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE Impact) Project, supported by the World Bank and the Agence Françise de Déeloppement (AFD). ACE-FUELS acknowledges the Federal Government of Nigeria’s sustained investment in postgraduate education, research, and innovation; the National Universities Commission (NUC) for its national coordination of the ACE Impact Project; and the Association of African Universities (AAU) for its continental oversight, quality assurance, and strategic guidance.
The Vice-Chancellor of FUTO, Professor I. N. S. Dozie, formally welcomed the Swansea delegation and reaffirmed the University’s commitment to international collaboration, research excellence, and innovation. He paid tribute to ACE-FUELS and its Centre Leader, Professor Emeka E. Oguzie, for positioning FUTO as a recognised hub for advanced energy research and for attracting globally competitive partnerships that enhance the University’s international standing.
A Transformative Investment in Africa’s Scientific Future
“The future of Africa’s energy transition depends not only on deploying clean energy technologies but on developing the knowledge, technical skills, and manufacturing capability to produce them locally. REACH-PSM is helping to build that foundation through international collaboration, technology transfer, and human capital development. This programme reinforces our journey towards producing one of Africa’s first Made-in-Africa perovskite solar modules at ACE-FUELS.”
Professor Emeka E. Oguzie, FAS, Centre Leader, ACE-FUELS
From Exchange to Manufacturing: The Road Ahead
The successful implementation of the programme strengthens the long-standing partnership between ACE-FUELS and Swansea University and positions both institutions to cascade acquired expertise to researchers and postgraduate students while advancing towards pilot-scale fabrication of next-generation perovskite solar modules.
Perovskite solar technology is widely recognised as one of the world’s most promising next-generation photovoltaic technologies due to its high efficiency, low-cost manufacturing potential, and compatibility with scalable printing techniques. Through REACH-PSM, ACE-FUELS and its international partners are positioning Africa not merely as a consumer of renewable energy technologies but as a future contributor to their research, innovation, and manufacture.
A Vision for Living Innovation Factories
The conclusion of this programme should mark not the end of an exchange activity, but the launch of a continental movement to establish Living Innovation Factories across Africa, centres that integrate postgraduate education, cutting-edge research, technology transfer, pilot-scale manufacturing, and enterprise development. These ecosystems would enable Africa’s young scientists and engineers to develop the innovations and industries that will power the continent’s future.
ACE-FUELS invites governments, funding agencies, industry, and development partners to support this vision through scholarships, fellowships, and collaborative research programmes for postgraduate students and early-career researchers from Nigeria and across Africa. Such investments in Africa’s vibrant youth population will strengthen the scientific and technological workforce required to accelerate the continent’s clean energy transition.
As implementation of the REACH-PSM project continues, ACE-FUELS and its partners remain committed to translating research excellence into practical technologies that expand energy access, strengthen local manufacturing capability, create high-value jobs, and contribute to sustainable development across Africa.
“The next-generation solar journey has indeed begun, towards producing one of Africa’s first Made-in-Africa perovskite solar modules at ACE-FUELS ElectroLab-X.”
