The Federal Government has announced plans to extend the TETFund and Renewed Hope Initiative ICT Experience Centre programme to 15 additional tertiary institutions as part of efforts to expand digital skills training across Nigeria.
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu announced the expansion during the commissioning of an ICT Experience Centre at Kwara State University, Malete.
She was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Nana Shettima.
Construction is already underway in Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Rivers, Yobe and Zamfara states.
The KWASU facility includes ICT laboratories, interactive digital displays, conference facilities and exhibition spaces designed to support learning, research and technological innovation.
KWASU was one of six institutions selected for the pilot phase, with one centre planned for each geopolitical zone.
TETFund Executive Secretary Sonny Echono, represented by Monitoring and Evaluation Director Olajide Babatunde, said the board approved N1 billion for each of the six pilot centres.
He said the facilities were intended to train students and lecturers in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and software development.
The programme will also expose participants to digital applications in agriculture, healthcare, media, mining and security.
Echono described the KWASU centre as one of the country’s most advanced ICT facilities and urged the university to ensure regular maintenance and technological upgrades.
The government said the expansion was intended to give students and academic staff wider access to practical digital training and strengthen Nigeria’s technology talent pipeline.
