As Nigeria pushes forward with its commitment to decarbonize the national grid and expand energy access, one critical factor remains central to the long-term success of these goals: technical infrastructure in engineering education. While financial capital and policy reform often dominate headlines, the importance of building and sustaining laboratories, testing environments, and real-world training systems has received less attention than it deserves.
At the University of Lagos, this technical foundation has quietly taken shape over the last decade, driven by internal leadership committed to aligning academic programs with the evolving demands of the Nigerian power sector. Among the key contributors is Kolawole Adisa, a veteran electrical engineer and technologist whose tenure at the university reflects a deep, sustained commitment to applied engineering advancement.
Over the course of his service, Adisa played a significant role in the development and equipping of High Voltage Engineering Laboratories, Machine Laboratories, and Renewable Energy Training Kits—facilities that now form the backbone of the university’s practical instruction in power systems, energy conversion, and sustainable technologies.
“These are not just academic spaces; they’re preparation grounds for Nigeria’s future grid operators, power engineers, and energy innovators,” said a senior faculty member in the Faculty of Engineering.
The High Voltage Lab enables students to simulate and study real-world grid conditions, including insulation breakdowns, fault currents, and transient overvoltages—critical phenomena in a country where grid reliability remains inconsistent. The Machine Lab, equipped with industrial-grade motors, drives, and programmable panels, enhances student understanding of electromechanical systems used in generation and manufacturing environments.
Perhaps most forward-facing is the integration of modular Renewable Energy Kits—configurable tools used for training on solar PV systems, inverters, load balancing, and microgrid applications. These kits allow students to build small-scale systems and model the very scenarios that Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan aims to scale nationally.
Adisa’s role involved everything from overseeing procurement standards to supervising installation and configuration. According to university records, his input ensured compatibility with both Nigeria’s educational standards and international technical benchmarks.
“He was instrumental in making sure the systems weren’t just modern, but also maintainable and scalable,” said one of his colleagues in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
The impact of these facilities is already measurable. Students now spend more time in hands-on labs than ever before, and graduates from the program have secured placements in energy firms and utility-scale projects, many citing lab-based confidence as a differentiator. The university has also leveraged these labs for short courses and technical workshops for external professionals, expanding their reach beyond campus walls.
At a time when over 85 million Nigerians lack reliable access to electricity, and when climate policy increasingly emphasizes distributed renewable energy solutions, the presence of real, functioning training environments is more than academic—it is strategic.
“Without labs, we have theory. With labs, we have competence,” said Dr. Yusuf Adewale, a renewable systems advisor. “Institutions like this are quietly doing the long-term work needed for real energy transition.”
Kolawole Adisa’s contributions are a reminder that technical leadership at the institutional level plays a pivotal role in national energy readiness. As Nigeria continues to pursue grid modernization and energy equity, the importance of internal engineering capacity cannot be overstated. It is not only the policies passed or the investments secured that will shape the outcome, but also the individuals who ensure that infrastructure and instruction keep pace with ambition. In recognition of his sustained contributions to infrastructure development and technical training, Kolawole Adisa was recently promoted to the position of Assistant Chief Technologist at the University of Lagos, where he continues to oversee key engineering operations and support the institution’s energy modernization agenda.
