Professor Bart O. Nnaji, FAS, FAEng, OON, CON, NNOM
Engineer | Innovator | Energy Reformer | National Leader
Professor Bart O. Nnaji is a globally renowned engineer, technocrat, and energy expert who has significantly contributed to Nigeria’s power sector reform and the advancement of science and technology. He is the Founder and Chairman of Geometric Power Limited, Nigeria’s first private power company, pioneering independent power generation.
An accomplished academic, Professor Nnaji has served in prestigious roles including William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Engineering and Alcoa Foundation Professor of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh (1996–2007), and earlier, Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts (1983–1996). He is the Founding Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation Center for e-Design. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from Virginia Tech alongside a Post-Doctoral Certificate in AI and Robotics from MIT.
In public service, Professor Nnaji played a pivotal role in shaping Nigeria’s energy future. He served as Federal Minister of Science and Technology (1993), Special Adviser to the President on Power, and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power (2010–2011). As Federal Minister of Power (2011–2012), he developed and implemented the Roadmap for Power Sector Reform, leading the privatization of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
His leadership also includes roles as Founding President of the Independent Power Producers Association of Nigeria (IPPAN), Chairman of the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Science, and Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council Chairman of Bells University of Technology (2018–present). He also served on the National Energy Council and Nigerian Merit Board.
Professor Nnaji is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including:
- U.S. Secretary of State’s Distinguished Public Service Award (1995)
- World Bank-IMF Africa Group Distinguished Scientist Award (1998)
- Baker Distinguished Research Award from the International Institute of Industrial Engineers (2001)
- West African Power Industries Lifetime Achievement Award (2014)
A Fellow of both the Nigerian Academy of Science and the Nigerian Academy of Engineering, he holds six honorary doctorates in Engineering, Science, and Technology. He has been honoured with Nigeria’s top national recognitions: Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), and the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM).
Professor Nnaji also holds the traditional title of Onwa Nkanu, a distinguished title covering a senatorial district in Enugu State, Nigeria.
