Nigeria’s push to reposition its universities as drivers of industrial growth received a major boost with the inauguration of the Mine-Tech University Innovation Pod (Mine-Tech UniPod) at Nasarawa State University.
At the high-level unveiling of the innovation hub, Vice President Kashim Shettima described the Mine-Tech UniPod as a strategic intervention designed to connect education, research, enterprise and industrialisation.
Represented by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Vice President said the initiative reflects the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to human capital development, innovation and youth empowerment.
He noted that although Nigeria possesses more than 44 commercially viable minerals valued at over $1trillion, the solid minerals sector has continued to contribute below its full potential to the nation’s economy.
According to him, the country is now shifting from dependence on raw material exports to value addition, industrial processing and innovation-led growth.
He explained that the Mine-Tech UniPod would serve as a platform for students, researchers, environmental experts, investors and mining professionals to collaborate on practical solutions for Nigeria’s mineral economy.
The Minister said the Federal Government was implementing the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative aimed at strengthening STEMM education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training, digital literacy, research commercialisation and university-industry partnerships.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, disclosed that an additional 20 UniPods would be established across the country before the end of the year as part of efforts to deepen innovation and enterprise development within Nigerian universities.
Other speakers at the event including Resident Representative, UNDP Nigeria, Elsie Attafuah, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; President Nigerian Mining and Geo-Science Society, Prof Olusegun Ige; VC of the Institution, Prof Hassan Liman, applauded the initiative, describing it as a game changer.
