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By Rita Okoye
How Nigerian researcher Dr. Chinonyelum Udemu’s work on scaling hydrogen production technology could position Nigeria as Africa’s clean energy powerhouse.
For decades, Nigeria has been synonymous with oil. But what if the country’s next economic boom came not from crude oil, but from hydrogen? Dr. Chinonyelum Udemu, a Nigerian Chemical Engineer working in the UK’s clean energy sector, believes Nigeria could become Africa’s hydrogen leader. The technology to make this happen exists.
Dr. Udemu recently completed her PhD at the University of Hull and now leads hydrogen research projects funded by the UK government. She has spent four years improving a process called sorption-enhanced steam reforming. This technology can convert Nigeria’s natural gas into clean hydrogen fuel while capturing the carbon dioxide that would normally escape into the atmosphere.
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“Nigeria has the raw materials, the existing infrastructure, and the growing energy demand that makes hydrogen production not just possible, but necessary,” says Dr. Udemu. Her research has been published in top international journals and recently won the 2024 Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Environment and Clean Technology Early Years Prize. The timing is perfect. Countries worldwide are searching for alternatives to fossil fuels as they work toward net-zero emissions by 2050. Hydrogen has become the preferred solution because it can power cars, trucks, steel plants, and homes while producing only water as waste.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has several natural advantages that could make it the continent’s hydrogen centre. The country sits on Africa’s largest natural gas reserves, estimated at over 200 trillion cubic feet. Much of this gas is currently exported or wasted through flaring. Dr. Udemu recognized this opportunity early in her career and proposed using sorption-enhanced steam reforming to convert Nigeria’s gas resources into clean hydrogen. This technology proposal won her the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) PhD funding that supported her research.
“The process I’ve been developing can work at any scale, from small community systems to massive industrial plants producing up to 600 megawatts of low-carbon hydrogen,” she explains. “Low-carbon hydrogen could solve several of Nigeria’s biggest problems. Small-scale hydrogen systems could provide reliable electricity to remote communities that currently depend on expensive diesel generators. Hydrogen-powered buses and trucks could reduce air pollution in Lagos, Abuja, and other major cities while creating a new manufacturing industry. Access to cheap, clean hydrogen could attract international manufacturers to Nigeria, creating millions of jobs in sectors like fertilizer production, steel making, and chemical processing. As Europe moves away from Russian gas, Nigeria could become a reliable supplier of clean hydrogen fuel.”
The economic potential is enormous. The global hydrogen market is expected to reach $410 billion by 2030. Countries like Morocco and Egypt are already investing billions in hydrogen infrastructure. Nigeria, with its superior gas reserves and existing energy infrastructure, could surpass these competitors.
Dr. Udemu’s path from the University of Benin to becoming a clean energy researcher shows how Nigeria can build its hydrogen economy. “My foundation was built during undergraduate studies at University of Benin, where I learned chemical engineering basics,” she says. “But the breakthrough came from working with international research teams and using advanced computer programs to model chemical processes.” This shows an important point: Nigerian engineers have the skills to make it work. What’s needed now is investment and government support.
Dr. Udemu acknowledges the obstacles. Building a hydrogen economy requires large upfront investment, supportive government policies, and retraining of workers. There are also technical challenges around storage and transportation that must be solved. However, she points to successful examples like Norway and Saudi Arabia, which is aggressively developing hydrogen industries by using their natural resource advantages. “Nigeria actually has better starting conditions than many countries that are already ahead in the hydrogen race,” she argues. She supports increased investment in science and technology education, international research partnerships, and pilot projects that test the technology in Nigerian conditions. “We need to move beyond talking about diversifying the economy to actually doing it. The key is starting now. Every day we delay, we’re missing opportunities and letting other countries capture market share that should be ours,” Dr. Udemu warns.
Dr. Chinonyelum Udemu currently works as a Research Associate at the University of Hull, where she leads government-funded low-carbon hydrogen research projects. She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering and has published widely on clean hydrogen production technologies. She is an Associate Member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and member of the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Community.
