TETFund Puts N10bn Into Polytechnic Skills Centres, Approves N48bn for University Engineering Facilities

BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

Nigeria’s efforts to produce graduates with practical, job-ready skills have received a fresh funding boost, with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) committing N10 billion to skills acquisition centres in polytechnics and approving another N48 billion to upgrade engineering and technology facilities in 12 universities.

The funding commitments were announced by Aminu Masari, Chairman of TETFund’s Board of Trustees, at the agency’s 2026 National Board of Trustees Town Hall Meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

The investments form part of a broader push to make tertiary education more responsive to the country’s workforce needs, with emphasis on technical competence, innovation, entrepreneurship and research capable of addressing real-life challenges.

Masari explained that the polytechnic programme was designed to give students more opportunities to acquire hands-on experience rather than depend solely on classroom instruction. The initiative also complements support for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centres intended to encourage students to develop business ideas and pursue economic opportunities.

The skills development programme has been running for four years, with two polytechnics selected annually from each of the six geopolitical zones. Beneficiary institutions receive training facilities, equipment and consumables, while personnel responsible for assessing the quality of training are also being prepared for the task.

Nearly 1,000 quality assurance assessors have undergone training under the programme, according to Masari, who disclosed that additional training was still in progress.

The intervention is also reaching beyond campus boundaries. Through partnerships with surrounding communities, polytechnics are increasingly engaging artisans and informal-sector workers, giving them opportunities to improve their skills through organised training and obtain recognised certificates.

TETFund is simultaneously expanding its research portfolio. Masari disclosed that 174 research proposals had secured a combined N6.09 billion under the 2025 National Research Fund grant cycle, with the money expected to support work in areas including healthcare, agriculture, science and technology.

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Plans are also underway to establish six central multipurpose laboratories across the country's geopolitical zones, providing additional facilities for research and practical learning.

In another technology-focused initiative, President Bola Tinubu has approved six new Centres of Excellence specialising in robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, machine learning and cybersecurity. Their establishment will increase the number of TETFund-supported centres to 36.

The agency is also funding academic staff development, digital learning infrastructure and renewable energy projects as part of efforts to improve conditions for teaching, research and learning in tertiary institutions.

But Masari said the scale of funding must be matched by results, insisting that institutions benefiting from public investment had a responsibility to demonstrate improvements in educational quality.

He called on universities and polytechnics to ensure that funded projects were properly executed and that facilities were maintained instead of being allowed to deteriorate after construction or installation.

The TETFund chairman also urged host communities to help protect educational facilities and support security around institutions, describing community cooperation as an important part of preserving public investments.

Speaking at the meeting, which was themed “Investing in Nigeria’s Future: Tertiary Education, Human Capital and National Development,” Masari encouraged stakeholders to offer practical suggestions for improving the agency’s programmes.

He said the ultimate measure of TETFund’s interventions should be their ability to produce skilled graduates, strengthen research and deliver lasting benefits to Nigerians.

“Investing in Nigeria’s future means equipping our people to build it,” Masari said.