By Opeyemi Adelakun
The Federal Government is extending its tertiary education digital-skills intervention to 15 more institutions, with new ICT Experience Centres expected to provide students and lecturers with practical training in emerging technologies.
The expansion of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)/Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) programme was announced by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu during the commissioning of the ICT Experience Centre at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete.
Represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s wife, Hajia Nana Shettima, Tinubu said construction was already underway in institutions across Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Rivers, Yobe and Zamfara states.
The programme is designed to broaden access to technology-driven learning while equipping young Nigerians with skills relevant to a rapidly changing labour market.
At the KWASU commissioning, Tinubu said the facility represented “opportunity, innovation, knowledge and hope” for young people in Kwara State and beyond.
She said the centre was equipped with ICT laboratories, interactive digital displays, conference facilities and exhibition spaces to support practical learning, research, creativity and technological development.
The First Lady urged students to take ownership of the facility and use it to develop solutions and acquire skills that could improve their lives and communities.
The TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc Sonny Echono, represented by the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Arc Olajide Babatunde, said each of the six pilot-zone centres was approved at a cost of about N1 billion.
He said the centres would focus on areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and software development, while exposing beneficiaries to technology applications in security, agriculture, healthcare, media and mining.
Echono said the intervention was conceived to ensure that Nigeria’s tertiary education system kept pace with technological and industrial changes.
He added that practical digital training could enhance graduate employability and encourage students and lecturers to develop innovative solutions.
The TETFund boss also urged KWASU management to ensure the facility and its equipment were properly maintained, secured and regularly upgraded as technology evolves.
The Vice-Chancellor of KWASU, Prof. Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, described the centre as a strategic investment in human capital, innovation and entrepreneurship.
He said the facility would provide opportunities for students to learn, experiment, conduct research and develop practical solutions.
“We will use it, we will explore it, experiment in it, learn and innovate in it,” Jimoh said.
The KWASU facility is part of the initial six-centre pilot programme covering Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. Other centres have been commissioned, while facilities at Kaduna State University and Taraba State University are expected to be commissioned soon.
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