By Ngozi Nwankwo
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is using education, technology, research and innovation to drive Nigeria’s transition from a resource based to knowledge based economy, with 41 University Innovation Pods, UniPods, planned across tertiary institutions to turn research into jobs, investment and measurable economic impact.
Speaking on the future and sustainability of the UniPods during Meeting with UNDP and 7 Vice Chancellors on UNDP Innovation HUB, Alausa said the initiative reflected President Tinubu’s strong belief in education as the bedrock of national development and his ambition to build a one trillion dollar economy.
He said eight UniPods had either been commissioned or were ready for commissioning, with three already operational at the University of Lagos, Nasarawa State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
Other specialised centres include the Blue Economy UniPod in Akwa Ibom, AgroTech in Benue State University, Resilience Tech in Borno State, GovTech at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Industrial Tech in Plateau State.
The Minister stressed that the success of the initiative would be measured not by the buildings and equipment alone, but by the solutions and economic value they generate.
Building on this, Dr. Alausa said Nigeria must move beyond research conducted largely for academic promotion to a system where research is taken from the laboratory to the market and ultimately to real impact.
He cited the MineTech UniPod at Nasarawa State University, where researchers have developed geospatial maps showing deposits of lithium, gold and bauxite, including information on their locations and depths.
According to him, such innovations represent major economic opportunities if investors are connected to researchers and provided with pathways to commercialise their discoveries.
He said government had already reduced the initial risks by providing infrastructure, equipment and technical capacity, making private investment and commercialisation the next critical step.
The Minister further said the Federal Ministry of Education, in partnership with UNDP and Tech4Dev, was working towards establishing about 41 UniPods over the coming years.
