The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced plans to establish six new Centres of Excellence in Robotics, Coding, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, and Cybersecurity across Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Once operational, these additions will raise the total number of TETFund-supported Centres of Excellence from 30 to 36.
Speaking at the Fund’s headquarters in Abuja during the inauguration of the Advisory Committee on Robotics, Coding, AI, Machine Learning Centres and Cybersecurity, Executive Secretary Arc. Sonny Echono said the committee’s primary assignment is to guide the selection of institutions to host the new centres.
The committee, chaired by Professor Yakubu Ochefu, immediate past Secretary General of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, is tasked with identifying institutions with demonstrable strengths in these fields. It will also set criteria for selection, recommend up to six universities to host the centres, and ensure representation across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones in line with the TETFund Act of 2011.
Echono underscored the national importance of the initiative, stating: “We are not only addressing issues around national security, but we are also preparing future generations of our youthful population to contribute meaningfully to national development and to fill knowledge and skills gaps globally.” He added that President Bola Tinubu had approved the establishment of the centres to reflect all six geopolitical zones and harness Nigeria’s abundant talent.
The centres will 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. Echono directed the committee to complete the first phase of its work within 30 days, while retaining its role in guiding the selected institutions during implementation.
By Ngozi Nwankwo, Abuja
