Usman Muhammad, Founder & CEO, CREACC-NG, Nigeria
The 10th anniversary edition of African Power & Energy Elites recognises the people shaping the continent’s future infrastructure
Through his leadership at CREACC-NG, Usman Muhammad (Mareri) has trained women in solar technologies, delivered solar-powered healthcare, community water supply systems, renewable energy agriculture initiatives to boost food self-reliance, raise household incomes and generate over 1,000kWh of clean power.
Muhammad remembers stepping out of university in 2010, full of restless ambition and a growing frustration with Nigeria’s fragile electricity system. That moment of clarity pushed him to establish the CREACC-NG, an organisation he has steered ever since.
As executive director of the Centre, he shapes its strategic vision, nurtures high-impact partnerships, and expands its reach across vulnerable rural communities in Nigeria and, increasingly, West Africa.
“Back then, power supply was crumbling,” he recalls. “Founding the Centre was my way of responding to a challenge that touched every aspect of life.”
Yet carrying such responsibility brings its own anxieties. Government inconsistency, abrupt policy reversals, and political turbulence across West Africa often leave him uneasy, especially when sudden shifts can halt projects overnight.
He manages this by prioritising transparency and cultivating close relationships with policymakers.
On a personal level, the thought of life after leadership weighs on him. “I won’t be in this role forever, and sometimes I wonder what comes next after dedicating over a decade to this work.”
Cover photo: Usman Muhammad Founder & Chief Executive, Centre For Renewable Energy And Action On Climate Change (CREACC-NG), Nigeria
