TETFund Gets Tinubu’s Nod To Establish Six Tech Centres

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced plans to establish six new centres of excellence in robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cybersecurity in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

The move is expected to raise the total number of TETFund-supported centres of excellence from 30 to 36.

Speaking at the inauguration of TETFund’s Advisory Committee on Robotics, Coding, AI, Machine Learning Centres and Cybersecurity on Wednesday, TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, revealed that President Tinubu had given his approval for the establishment of the new centres.

“We secured Mr. President’s approval to establish at least six additional centres of excellence across the country. This is deliberate, as we aim to reflect all six geopolitical zones, while tapping into the abundant talents that exist in Nigeria,” he said.

Echono explained that the committee, chaired by Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, would guide the selection of institutions to host the new centres, ensuring representation across the six geopolitical zones.

The committee’s tasks include identifying institutions with demonstrable strengths in the specified areas, setting criteria for selecting beneficiary institutions, and recommending up to six universities to host the proposed centres.

According to Echono, the initiative aims to address national security issues, prepare future generations for national development, and fill knowledge and skills gaps globally.

The centres would be hosted exclusively by public universities, providing students and researchers with state-of-the-art facilities to drive innovation and competitiveness in emerging technological fields.

The committee has been given 30 days to complete the first phase of its work and is expected to develop clear, merit-based criteria for selecting institutions with proven capacity in the specified areas.

Responding on behalf of the committee, Ochefu pledged that the panel would ensure equitable representation across the six geopolitical zones in line with the provisions of the TETFund Act.