BUK’s N5.6bn ‘Africa’s Largest’ Solar Plant Fails, Plunging Campus Back into Darkness

Barely two years after its high-profile commissioning, the N5.6 billion solar hybrid power plant at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), has broken down, forcing students and staff back to unreliable grid electricity and expensive diesel generators.

The 3.5-megawatt facility, inaugurated in September 2019 by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and celebrated as the largest off-grid solar plant in Africa, initially powered the university’s lecture halls, offices, hostels, and staff quarters. It reportedly slashed the institution’s energy costs by over 60%, providing consistent daytime electricity that enhanced learning, security, and overall productivity on campus.

By 2021, however, the plant developed critical faults and was shut down. University staff attributed the collapse to several factors: overuse without adequate storage capacity, skyrocketing maintenance costs, and a critical lack of involvement from the university’s own technical experts during the initial project execution. Prolonged inactivity and inflation are said to have further degraded the system’s components.

A New N100 Billion Plan for Revival
In response, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), which executed the original project, has announced a comprehensive revival plan. As part of a new N100 billion federal solarisation programme, the plant will be completely overhauled and expanded to a 6-megawatt capacity.

At the launch of the upgrade on November 20, 2025, REA Managing Director, Dr. Abba Aliyu Abubakar, stated the renewed project aims to deliver 24-hour power supply to the university. BUK’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Haruna Musa, emphasized that the new phase would fully integrate the university’s technical experts to ensure long-term sustainability, highlighting the institution’s current monthly electricity bill of over N130 million.

While staff and students have welcomed the planned intervention, there are strong calls for strict oversight and accountability to prevent a repeat of the costly failure.