On Wednesday, 27th March, 2024, the Africa Centre of Excellence in Future Energies and Electrochemical Systems (ACE-FUELS) commenced its Greenovation Dialogue Series with a public lecture on climate-smart innovations towards green economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. The lecture was held in a hybrid format (in-person and online) at the ACE-FUELS Complex, FUTO, and was delivered by Prof. Solomon Agbo, a German-based Nigerian scientist.

For over 20 years, Prof. Agbo has been working in the field of renewable energy across institutions in Europe and Africa, as academic, consultant and project manager. He is currently a senior scientist and project manager at the Corporate Development unit of Forschungszentrum Jülich, from where he coordinates the YESPVNIGBEN and H2Atlas-Africa projects.

In his lecture, Prof. Agbo emphasised the importance of climate-smart innovations, and shared insights into the strategic role of Sub-Saharan Africa in the energy transition. He mentioned the abundance of renewable energy resources as what makes the continent attractive for energy partnerships, maintaining that such partnerships will benefit its countries through job creation and provision of intensive training courses for students and researchers. He eventually achieved his aim of provoking attendees into thinking seriously about the innovative solutions to climate change.

The scientist finally stated that he was impressed with the quality of teaching and research at ACE-FUELS, and commended the Centre Leader, Prof. Emeka Oguzie, for his leadership, commitment to the success of the Centre, and preparedness for the energy transition.

In return, the Centre Leader expressed his immense gratitude to Prof. Agbo for his inspiring and thought-provoking lecture. He also thanked attendees for their active participation, and encouraged them to join in subsequent discussions.