Chidimma Uchegbu
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has partnered with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to establish and scale university-based innovation hubs across the country.
The event took place on Monday when a delegation from the UNDP visited TETFund headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking, TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, said UNDP projects like innovation, skills development, and structural reform align with the Fund’s ongoing interventions.
“I’m very glad to deepen this relationship. Nigeria has one of the most youthful populations in the world, smart, hardworking, and curious. Innovation comes naturally to our people. What we must do is equip them with the right environment, infrastructure, and platforms to thrive.”
Echono confirmed TETFund is already investing in over 60 innovation hubs across tertiary institutions and plans to integrate them with the UNDP-supported centers for greater impact.
“We started with 18 and are scaling to 68 this year. We’re replicating a model in Abuja in partnership with Israeli startups, and we’re working with our institutions to integrate local industries, like Panteka in Kaduna and Computer Village in Lagos, for practical training. This aligns perfectly with your eight hubs and allows us to coalesce our efforts.”
He said the partnership also targets commercialization of research, energy infrastructure for campuses, and technical skills development. “We have recently set up a national committee on the commercialization of research outputs.
“We’re building six regional laboratories across the geopolitical zones, and we’re investing in energy efficiency in at least nine universities this year alone. These projects are strategic and aligned with global trends, especially in renewable energy and green economy.”
Speaking during a high-level visit, UNDP’s Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Elsie G. Attafuah, praised the agency’s strategic direction and commitment to youth-driven innovation.
“We have been admiring from a distance the great work that TETFund has been doing. We are inspired and said this is the place we must be. But beyond admiration, we are here to explore how we can strengthen each other’s hands and invest in Nigeria’s future, especially the ‘Nigeria First’ agenda.”
According to her, the UNDP delegation’s visit comes on the heels of the agency’s support for innovation spaces in eight Nigerian universities. “By September, we would have established eight spaces. But the goal is not just to create hubs, it is to co-invest in ideas.
“We must take these ideas to scale. Who will fund these ideas? How do we de-risk innovation and ensure access to capital for youth-led ventures? That’s where this partnership becomes transformative.”
Attafuah emphasised the importance of structural transformation through value-chain development and technological advancement. “Nigeria sits on immense mineral wealth, like lithium in Nasarawa, but without the technology to process, the value slips away.
“We want to work with you to link innovation to trade, to jobs, to sustainable livelihoods. Artificial intelligence, for instance, will define the future. So we’re partnering with the University of Lagos to establish Nigeria’s first AI Core, one of many steps we must take together.”
She also highlighted that all the resources being leveraged by UNDP are fundamentally Nigerian. “The funds used to establish these hubs are federal allocations passed through the UN system.
“So this is Nigeria’s money working for Nigeria. We are open to co-investment and collaborative governance of these hubs. If you have the time, we would love to take you on study tours to other countries where this model is succeeding, from Uganda to the UAE,” she added.
