Six Nigerian tertiary institutions are set to host new Centres of Excellence in Robotics, Coding, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Cybersecurity, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, has announced.
The Fund disclosed that when operational, the new additions will increase the number of TETFund-supported Centres of Excellence nationwide from 30 to 36.
Speaking at the Fund’s headquarters in Abuja during the inauguration of the Advisory Committee on the proposed centres, Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, said the committee’s primary mandate is to guide the selection of beneficiary institutions.
The committee is chaired by Professor Yakubu Ochefu, immediate past Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities.
According to the terms of reference, the panel is to identify institutions with demonstrable capacity in Robotics, Coding, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Cybersecurity.
It will also develop the criteria and conditions for selecting beneficiary institutions and recommend up to six universities to host the centres, ensuring representation across the six geopolitical zones as stipulated in the TETFund Act, 2011.
Echono underscored the national significance of the initiative, noting that the intervention goes beyond education to address broader development priorities.
“We are not only addressing issues around national security; we are also preparing future generations of our youthful population to contribute meaningfully to national development and to fill global knowledge and skills gaps,” he said.
He revealed that presidential approval had been secured for the establishment of at least six additional centres of excellence nationwide.
“This is deliberate, as we aim to reflect all six geopolitical zones while tapping into the abundant talents that exist in Nigeria,” Echono added.
The Executive Secretary further explained that the centres would be domiciled exclusively in public universities and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to drive innovation and strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in emerging technology fields.
He directed the committee to complete the first phase of its assignment within 30 days, while retaining an advisory role to guide the selected institutions in establishing and developing the centres.
In his response, Prof. Ochefu assured that the committee would design clear, merit-based criteria to identify qualified institutions, while ensuring equitable geopolitical representation in line with the provisions of the TETFund Act.
