Vice-President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerian universities to transform into centers of innovation, entrepreneurship and industrialization, saying they must produce job creators rather than job seekers if the country is to achieve its economic ambitions.
Shettima made the call on Monday during the inauguration of the Manufacturing Technology University Innovation Pod (Manu-Tech UniPod) at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) in Abia State.
Represented by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Vice-President said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places education, innovation, industrialization, youth empowerment and economic diversification at the center of national development.
The Manu-Tech UniPod, established by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in partnership with the Federal Government through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), is designed to promote technological innovation, digital manufacturing and entrepreneurship.
According to Shettima, the Federal Ministry of Education is implementing the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative to strengthen foundational education, technical skills, digitalization, research, innovation, commercialization and enterprise development nationwide.
“The university of the future must produce innovators, entrepreneurs, inventors, manufacturers and employers of labor. Our universities must become the birthplace of industries,” he said.
He noted that the innovation hub would foster collaboration among researchers, industries and entrepreneurs, supporting the Federal Government’s goal of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
Abia State Governor Alex Otti described the initiative as a game-changer that would strengthen collaboration between academia and industry while redefining manufacturing, innovation, and economic development in the state.
He said the facility would help redirect university research towards solving real-world challenges, producing commercially viable products and attracting investment into businesses across Abia and beyond.
Otti pledged the state government’s full support, noting that the project aligns with his administration’s economic development agenda.
He added that effective utilization of the facility would enable businesses to focus on expanding production capacity to meet demand across 54 African countries and international markets.
Also speaking, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa, Mrs Ahunna Eziakonwa, described the innovation pod as more than a development project, saying it forms part of the UNDP’s Timbuktoo Initiative.
The initiative aims to mobilize $1 billion to support 10,000 African startups, scale 1,000 businesses and create 10 million decent jobs across the continent.
She urged young Africans to embrace innovation, collaboration and self-reliance as tools for tackling the continent’s development challenges.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Mr Sonny Echono, represented by Dr Suleiman Zangina, said the Manu-Tech UniPod is a key component of the National Innovation and Digital Transformation Partnership Program, designed to transform Nigerian tertiary institutions into innovation-driven centers.
He revealed that the partnership will establish seven new innovation pods and 12 innovation hubs nationwide, creating an ecosystem that translates academic research into market-ready products and accelerates Nigeria’s transition to a knowledge-based economy.
The UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms Elsie Attafuah, said the UniPod would connect education, research, enterprise and manufacturing to transform ideas into industries, create jobs and boost sustainable economic growth.
She disclosed that plans are underway to expand the innovation pods from seven to 21 across the country to strengthen Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, attract investment and unlock the nation’s economic potential.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of MOUAU, Prof. Ursula Akanwa, said the facility would bridge the gap between research and enterprise by transforming academic ideas into technologies, businesses, industries and employment opportunities.
She added that the university would leverage the innovation hub to strengthen agro-processing, modernize manufacturing, empower entrepreneurs, and ensure that research delivers practical solutions that create wealth and produce globally competitive Nigerian products.
