First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has inaugurated the TETFund/Renewed Hope Initiative ICT Experience Centre at Kwara State University, Malete, as part of a program aimed at expanding access to advanced digital skills across Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The facility is one of six centers selected for the pilot phase, with one institution representing each geopolitical zone.
The Kwara centre includes ICT laboratories, interactive digital displays, conference facilities and exhibition spaces designed to support research, learning, creativity and technology development.
The First Lady, represented by the wife of the Vice President, Nana Shettima, said the centre was intended to provide young people with opportunities in the digital economy.
She said the program aligned with the federal government’s focus on youth empowerment, innovation and education.
The intervention is expected to train students and lecturers in areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and software development.
TETFund Executive Secretary Sonny Echono said the centers were designed to help bridge the digital-skills gap and improve graduate employability.
The Kwara facility is part of an expansion program that will extend to 15 additional institutions in Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Rivers, Yobe and Zamfara states.
Construction is already underway in the benefiting institutions.
Similar centers have been commissioned at Ekiti State University, the University of Cross River State and Anambra State Polytechnic, while facilities at Kaduna State University and Taraba State University are also scheduled for inauguration.
Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq urged the university to use the new facility to support innovation, job creation and practical solutions to social and economic problems.
He said universities should move beyond producing graduates to generating ideas and technologies capable of improving lives.
The university’s management said the centre would strengthen research, entrepreneurship and engagement with the surrounding community.
The First Lady urged students to take ownership of the facility and use technology to create opportunities for themselves and their communities.
The program forms part of a broader effort to position tertiary institutions as centers of digital learning and innovation.
