Prof. Bart O. Nnaji

Professor Bart O. Nnaji, FAS, FAEng, OON, CON, NNOM, is a distinguished son of Africa, a trailblazer in engineering and the power sector, and a national icon whose remarkable career spans academia, entrepreneurship, innovation and public service. Professor Nnaji is a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science and the Nigerian Academy of Engineering. He is also a recipient of three distinguished national honours: Officer of the Order of the Niger, Commander of the Order of the Niger and the Nigerian National Order of Merit, Nigeria’s highest recognition for outstanding intellectual and academic achievement. Professor Nnaji is a globally respected engineer, accomplished academic, entrepreneur and visionary public-policy leader. He is the Founder and Chairman of Geometric Power Group, a pioneering indigenous power-development company incorporated in 2000. Geometric Power developed Nigeria’s first indigenously owned private-sector power plant in Abuja and later pioneered the Aba Integrated Power Project, recognised as Nigeria’s first fully vertically integrated electricity utility. Through these projects, Professor Nnaji has helped advance independent power production, private-sector participation and electricity-sector development in Nigeria. His public-service career began at the federal level in 1993 when, at the age of 37, he was appointed Minister of Science and Technology. Years later, he served as Special Adviser to the President on Power from 2010 to 2011 and as the pioneer Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power. In July 2011, he was appointed Minister of Power, a position he held until August 2012. During this period, he played a leading role in implementing Nigeria’s Roadmap for Power Sector Reform and advancing the restructuring and privatisation of the country’s electricity industry. Beyond his contributions to public service and the power sector, Professor Nnaji has had an outstanding international academic career. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from St. John’s University, New York, before proceeding to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly known as Virginia Tech, where he obtained his master’s degree and PhD in Engineering. He subsequently completed postdoctoral studies in artificial intelligence and robotics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT. From 1983 to 1996, he served as Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he established and directed the Automation and Robotics Laboratory. He later joined the University of Pittsburgh, serving from 1996 to 2007 as the William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Engineering and the Alcoa Foundation Professor of Engineering. Professor Nnaji was also the Founding Director of the United States National Science Foundation Center for e-Design, a pioneering five-university research centre focused on digitally enabled engineering design and product development. His scholarly work in robotics, intelligent systems, computer-integrated manufacturing and e-design earned him considerable international recognition. His contributions have attracted numerous prestigious awards, including the U.S. Secretary of State’s Distinguished Public Service Award in 1995, the World Bank/IMF Africa Group Distinguished Scientist Award in 1998, the Baker Distinguished Research Award in 2001 and the West African Power Industry Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Nigerian Power Sector Awards in 2022 and the Power Sector ICON Award at the 2025 Vanguard Awards. In recognition of his contributions to engineering, science, education, public service and national development, Professor Nnaji has received seven honorary doctorate degrees in Engineering, Science and Technology from universities around the world. Professor Nnaji continues to contribute to education, science and national development through several leadership responsibilities. He currently serves as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Bells University of Technology. He is also the Chairman of the Science Prize Advisory Board of The Nigeria Prize for Science, sponsored by Nigeria LNG, where he helps promote scientific excellence and innovation in Nigeria. In every capacity, whether as a public servant, engineer, entrepreneur, professor or global thought leader, Professor Bart O. Nnaji has consistently demonstrated brilliance, integrity and a relentless commitment to the progress of Nigeria and Africa.