ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s tertiary education research system is producing hundreds of technology prototypes aimed at solving practical problems and supporting industrial development, with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) reporting 183 prototypes under its Research for Impact programme.
The initiative forms part of efforts to move research in universities and other tertiary institutions beyond academic publications to practical innovations, commercial products and technologies that can contribute to economic growth.
TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc Sonny Echono, disclosed this on Wednesday at a strategic engagement with chairmen of governing councils, heads of institutions and bursars at the National Universities Commission Auditorium in Abuja.
He said the Fund was expanding its investments in research, innovation and technology development to enable tertiary institutions to translate academic discoveries into products and solutions for national development. Echono explained that the TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research had facilitated the development of about 55 prototypes across different fields, while the Research for Impact programme had produced 183 prototypes across 33 cohorts.
He said the Fund was also working to promote the adoption and commercialisation of these innovations, stressing that research should deliver practical benefits beyond academic findings. “Our idea is to lead in research and product development and commercialisation, and not just findings alone,” he said.
The executive secretary disclosed that TETFund was establishing centres of excellence in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Cyber Sciences across the country’s geopolitical zones. The Fund is also upgrading information and communication technology laboratories into AI-powered pedagogical centres to strengthen digital competencies among lecturers and students.
According to Echono, laboratories, innovation hubs and technology parks have been established and equipped across beneficiary institutions to support practical learning and enable researchers to test innovations in medicine, agriculture, healthcare and other critical sectors.
He said the interventions were part of a broader strategy to reposition tertiary institutions as drivers of technological advancement, industrialisation and economic transformation. Echono also announced that the second edition of the National TETFAIR would hold from November 24 to 26, urging beneficiary institutions and Nigerians to participate actively.
Speaking at the event, the representative of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Aikamba Jude, commended TETFund’s interventions in infrastructure, research, academic development and institutional capacity building.Jude urged beneficiary institutions to ensure transparency, accountability and prudent management of resources, stressing that government investments must translate into measurable results.
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