VP Shettima: Universities Must Go Beyond Learning to Drive Industrial Growth

Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged Nigerian universities to move beyond producing graduates and become centres of innovation, industrialisation and entrepreneurship to drive sustainable economic growth.

Represented by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, at the inauguration of the Manu-Tech UniPod at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State, Shettima described the facility as the beginning of a national movement to reposition tertiary institutions as catalysts for economic transformation.

He said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises education, innovation, industrialisation, youth empowerment and economic diversification.

According to the Vice President, Nigeria can no longer afford to separate education from production, research from enterprise or knowledge from national prosperity.

“The universities of the future must produce innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs and employers of labour,” he said.

Shettima explained that the Manu-Tech UniPod would bridge the gap between academic research and industry by integrating artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, agro-processing, digital design, industrial automation and entrepreneurship within a single innovation ecosystem.

He added that the project complements ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, technical and vocational training, digital transformation and research capacity.

Highlighting Aba’s reputation as one of Africa’s leading manufacturing clusters, Shettima said the innovation hub would connect the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem with university research, creating opportunities for commercialisation, investment and exports under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He also commended Abia State Governor Alex Otti for his investments in education, healthcare, security, technology and industrial development.

Otti: UniPod Supports Abia’s Economic Vision

Governor Alex Otti described the Manu-Tech UniPod as a significant milestone in Abia’s ambition to become Nigeria’s leading hub for innovation, manufacturing and enterprise.

He applauded the collaboration between the Federal Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), noting that the National Innovation and Digital Transformation Partnership Programme aims to equip about 500,000 students and researchers with digital and entrepreneurial skills.

According to Otti, the facility will help redirect university research towards solving industrial challenges, strengthen small and medium-scale enterprises, boost investor confidence and stimulate economic growth.

He also announced plans to deepen the state’s partnership with the UNDP through initiatives including the Jubilee Fellows Programme, the Aba Export Growth Lab, energy investments and industrial competitiveness programmes.

UNDP Sees Abia as Innovation Hub

United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, described Abia as an emerging innovation hub capable of producing globally competitive enterprises.

She said the Manu-Tech UniPod forms part of a broader initiative aimed at mobilising one billion dollars to support 10,000 African startups, scale at least 1,000 high-growth businesses and create millions of jobs across the continent.

“Africa will not wait for the world to develop it; Africa will develop itself,” she said.

Eziakonwa commended Governor Otti for creating an enabling environment for innovation through investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure and security, urging students to think boldly and create purposefully.

Similarly, UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Elsie G. Attafuah, said the Umudike facility is part of a national innovation ecosystem that began with the AI UniPod at the University of Lagos and the Mine-Tech UniPod at Nasarawa State University.

She disclosed that UNDP plans to expand the current network from seven UniPods to more than 50 across Nigeria.

Universities Must Create Industries – MOUAU VC

Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Prof. Ursula Akanwa, said universities should no longer be assessed solely by the number of graduates they produce but by the industries they create, technologies they commercialise and solutions they provide.

She described the Manu-Tech UniPod as a partnership between knowledge and enterprise that would promote agro-processing, support small businesses, strengthen the leather and textile industries and empower young innovators.

TETFund Backs Knowledge Economy

Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, represented by Dr. Suleiman Zingina, said the UniPod initiative is designed to transform tertiary institutions into innovation-driven engines of economic growth.

He disclosed that seven University Innovation Pods and one Innovation Hub are already operational across the country, with 12 more expected before the end of the year.

According to him, the facilities will enable students and researchers to transform innovative ideas into commercially viable products through mentorship, collaboration and access to world-class infrastructure.

The Manu-Tech UniPod is Nigeria’s first manufacturing-focused University Innovation Pod under the National Innovation and Digital Transformation Partnership Programme, a collaborative initiative involving the Federal Government, UNDP, TETFund and other strategic partners to promote innovation, enterprise creation and industrial competitiveness.