The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced plans to establish 68 innovation hubs across universities in the country by the end of 2025.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to the Fund’s headquarters in Abuja, TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, said the expansion aligns closely with ongoing UNDP projects in innovation, skills development, and structural transformation.
“We started with 18 and are scaling to 68 this year. We’re replicating a model in Abuja in partnership with Israeli start-ups, 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 stated.
Echono explained that the Fund is already supporting over 60 hubs and will work closely with UNDP to integrate new centres into a national innovation network that bridges academia, industry, and government.
Beyond innovation hubs, the collaboration targets the commercialisation of research outputs, development of technical skills, and energy infrastructure on campuses. “We have recently set up a national committee on the commercialisation of research outputs. We’re building six regional laboratories across the geo-political zones, and we’re investing in energy efficiency in at least nine universities this year alone,” he added.
UNDP’s Resident Representative in Nigeria, Elsie Attafuah, applauded TETFund’s strategic vision, describing the partnership as a transformative step toward sustainable, youth-driven innovation.
“By September, we would have established eight spaces. But the goal is not just to create hubs, it is to co-invest in ideas… How do we de-risk innovation and ensure access to capital for youth-led ventures? That’s where this partnership becomes transformative,” she said.
Attafuah also highlighted the need for deeper value-chain development and technology adoption, noting that long-term economic growth hinges on structural reforms powered by innovation.
