The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have entered into a strategic partnership to establish 68 innovation hubs across Nigerian universities, aiming to bolster youth entrepreneurship, research commercialization, and technological advancement.
The collaboration was formalized during a high-level meeting on Monday at TETFund’s headquarters in Abuja, where a UNDP delegation led by Resident Representative Ms. Elsie G. Attafuah commended the agency’s efforts in fostering innovation in higher institutions.
TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, noted that the Fund is currently supporting over 60 innovation hubs and is working to expand that number to 68 this year. The hubs are expected to integrate UNDP-supported centers, strengthen local industry partnerships, and drive practical skill development.
“We started with 18 hubs and are scaling up to 68 this year. We’re replicating a successful model developed with Israeli startups in Abuja and collaborating with local industrial hubs like Panteka in Kaduna and Computer Village in Lagos,” Echono said.
He added that the partnership also focuses on commercializing research outputs, boosting campus energy infrastructure, and enhancing technical skill acquisition. “We’ve set up a national committee on research commercialization and are building six regional laboratories, while also investing in energy efficiency projects in at least nine universities,” he added.
UNDP’s Attafuah applauded TETFund’s direction, describing the visit as the start of a transformative partnership. She highlighted the UNDP’s current work in establishing eight innovation spaces in Nigerian universities by September, with a broader ambition to scale up ideas born within those hubs.
“The goal is not just to set up hubs but to co-invest in scalable ideas and support youth-led ventures with access to capital,” Attafuah said. “This is about de-risking innovation and driving structural transformation through value-chain development and technology.”
She underscored Nigeria’s untapped mineral wealth, such as lithium in Nasarawa, noting the need for technological infrastructure to ensure value retention and economic growth.
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