The Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, has earmarked N6 billion for the establishment of ICT Experience Centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, as part of efforts to equip students and lecturers with digital skills needed to compete in the technology-driven global economy.
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, disclosed this while commissioning the South-East zonal ICT Experience Centre, located at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, on Thursday.
The ICT Experience Centre, a project implemented under the Renewed Hope Initiative is designed to provide practical training and learning opportunities in digital literacy, software development, data science, multimedia, online learning, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence.
While commissioning the project, Tinubu expressed appreciation for the opportunity to participate in the project and prayed that the facility would continue to benefit the institution and generations of young Nigerians.
“I’m really honoured to do this and I pray that God continues to bless this community and generations ongoing. Amen,” she said.
The First Lady described the facility as an important investment in the future of Nigerian youths.
The commissioning formed part of activities marking the launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme for the South-East Zone.
Earlier, Chairman of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, said the Oko centre was one of six ICT Experience Centres approved as a strategic intervention to strengthen digital capacity across tertiary institutions.
Masari said TETFund approved N1 billion for each of the six geopolitical zones, bringing the total commitment to N6 billion, with selected universities, polytechnics and colleges of education benefiting from the intervention.
He said the centres would expose students and lecturers to critical areas of technology, including Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and software development.
“The Board of Trustees recognised the need to align Nigeria’s education system with emerging global technological and industry standards,” Masari said.
According to him, the intervention was aimed at improving graduate employability, stimulating innovation and positioning Nigeria to participate more effectively in the global technology-driven economy.
Masari urged the management of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, to ensure effective maintenance and security of the facility while regularly upgrading its equipment to keep pace with technological developments.
Also speaking, Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, said the centre represented an investment in human capacity rather than merely physical infrastructure.
“For us, the Centre represents much more than a physical facility. It is an investment in people; an investment in possibilities; and, ultimately, an investment in the future of Nigeria,” he said.
Echono said wider access to digital learning, innovation and technology would enable young Nigerians to transform ideas into solutions, skills into livelihoods and aspirations into opportunities.
He said the intervention reflected TETFund’s commitment to human capital development and the transition towards a knowledge-driven economy.
“We are therefore honoured to partner with the Renewed Hope Initiative in advancing an agenda that recognises our youth as not merely beneficiaries of development, but as principal actors in shaping Nigeria’s future,” he said.
Echono added that TETFund would continue to support the centres to achieve their objectives of expanding digital inclusion, nurturing talent and creating new opportunities for young Nigerians.
He said the ICT centres and the National Community Food Bank Programme reflected the people-centred focus of the Renewed Hope Agenda, with the former addressing the need for digital competencies and the latter responding to the needs of vulnerable Nigerians facing economic hardship.
The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Dr Chioma Irene Awuzie, described the commissioning as a landmark achievement for the institution and a demonstration of the commitment of the First Lady and TETFund to youth empowerment through education, technology and innovation.
Awuzie said the ICT Experience Centre, together with the Chemical Engineering Building and Students’ Examination Centre, underscored the impact of TETFund interventions at the polytechnic.
She said the centre would expand students’ access to digital skills, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, educational resources, technology, innovation and professional networks.
According to her, the facility would also help bridge the gap between classroom theory and practical technological experience, equipping students with competencies required to succeed in the 21st-century economy.
“The world is increasingly driven by technology, artificial intelligence, digital skills, innovation and knowledge. Our youths must therefore be equipped not merely to participate, but to excel and lead,” she said.
