Universities must become engines of industrial growth, not just centres of learning — VP Shettima
. As UNDP launches Manu-tech Unipod at MOUAU
. UniPod ‘ll unlock Abia’s industrial potential – Otti
. TETFund, UN hail innovation ecosystem
By Steve Oko
UMUAHIA — Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima has declared that Nigeria’s universities must evolve from producing graduates to becoming engines of innovation, industrialisation and enterprise if the country is to achieve 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), the Vice President described the facility as “the beginning of a national movement” to reposition tertiary institutions as drivers of economic transformation.
He said the initiative “aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places education, innovation, industrialisation, youth empowerment and economic diversification at the centre of national development.”
According to Shettima, Nigeria can no longer afford to separate education from production, research from enterprise or knowledge from national prosperity, stressing that universities of the future must produce innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs and employers of labour.
He said the Manu-Tech UniPod would bridge the gap between university research and industry by integrating artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, agro-processing, digital design, industrial automation and entrepreneurship into one innovation ecosystem.
The Vice President noted that the project complements ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening STEM education, technical and vocational training, digital transformation, research capacity and innovation.
Describing Aba as one of Africa’s foremost manufacturing clusters, Shettima said the innovation hub would connect the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem with cutting-edge university research, opening new opportunities for commercialisation, investment and exports under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He also commended Governor Alex Otti for his commitment to education, healthcare, security, technology and industrial development, describing him as “a performing governor” building a sustainable development ecosystem.
“The launch of this Manu-Tech Innovation Pod is not the end of a project; it is the beginning of a national movement where education powers industry, innovation drives prosperity and knowledge transforms our nation,” he said.
UniPod aligns with Abia’s economic vision – Otti
In his remarks, Governor Alex Otti described the Manu-Tech UniPod as a major milestone in Abia’s drive to become Nigeria’s leading hub for innovation, manufacturing and enterprise.
He said sustainable development thrives on strategic partnerships, applauding the collaboration between the Federal Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for establishing the innovation centre.
According to him, the National Innovation and Digital Transformation Partnership Programme will equip about 500,000 students and researchers with technological and entrepreneurial skills to transform research findings into commercially viable products and services.
Otti expressed confidence that the UniPod would redirect university research towards solving real-life industrial challenges, strengthen small and medium-scale enterprises, boost investor confidence and accelerate economic growth.
He said the facility perfectly aligned with his administration’s economic blueprint and complements ongoing investments in infrastructure, security and human capital development.
The governor also announced plans to deepen the state’s partnership with UNDP through the “expansion of the Jubilee Fellows Programme, the Aba Export Growth Lab, energy investment initiatives and industrial competitiveness programmes.”
“The hour of big dreams and great ambitions has arrived,” Otti declared, urging students and entrepreneurs to leverage opportunities provided by the UniPod to build globally competitive businesses.
Africa’s next global innovation can emerge from Abia – UN Assistant Secretary-General
Speaking at the event, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, described Abia as a rising innovation hub capable of shaping Africa’s future.
She said the Manu-Tech UniPod was part of the initiative designed to mobilise $1 billion to support 10,000 African startups, scale at least 1,000 high-growth ventures and create millions of jobs across the continent.
“Africa will not wait for the world to develop it; Africa will develop itself,” she declared.
Eziakonwa paid tribute to the late Dr Michael Okpara for laying the foundation for industrial development in the old Eastern Region and praised Governor Otti for creating an enabling environment for innovation through investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure, security and workers’ welfare.
She urged students to “think boldly, collaborate fiercely and create purposefully,” expressing confidence that the next globally transformative innovation could emerge from Abia.
The UN official lauded Gov. Otti for his developmental strides, saying the late Okpara’s mantle had fallen on him.
UNDP: Abia can lead Nigeria’s industrial transformation
UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Elsie G. Attafuah, described the innovation hub as a major step towards positioning Abia as Nigeria’s leading innovation-driven industrial state.
She said the Umudike facility forms 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.
“From Artificial Intelligence in Lagos, to Mine-Tech in Nasarawa, and now Manu-Tech in Umudike, we are steadily building a nationally connected innovation ecosystem that transforms talent into enterprise, enterprise into industry, and industry into national competitiveness,” she said.
Attafuah noted that Aba’s entrepreneurial culture and manufacturing heritage made Abia the ideal location for Nigeria’s first manufacturing-focused UniPod.
She commended Governor Otti for providing visionary leadership and revealed that UNDP is finalising a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Ministry of Education to transform Nigerian universities into centres of innovation and enterprise.
She added that the UniPod initiative seeks to connect education with skills, research with innovation, innovation with enterprise, enterprise with investment, manufacturing and exports.
According to her, UNDP plans to expand the network from the current seven UniPods to over 50 across Nigeria.
“The UniPod must become a place where ideas are incubated, technologies are prototyped, startups are accelerated, intellectual property is protected, businesses are created and partnerships with industry are forged,” she said.
Universities must create industries – MOUAU VC
Vice-Chancellor of MOUAU, Prof. Ursula Akanwa, said universities should no longer be judged merely by the number of graduates or academic papers they produce but by the industries they create, technologies they commercialise and solutions they provide to society.
She described the Manu-Tech UniPod as “a new partnership between knowledge and enterprise, between research and manufacturing, and between the aspirations of young people and the future of Nigeria’s economy.”
“Agriculture does not end on the farm. It extends through processing, manufacturing, logistics, markets and enterprise. Knowledge must travel beyond the laboratory into factories, businesses and communities where it creates wealth and improves lives,” she said.
Prof. Akanwa pledged that the facility would drive agro-processing, reduce post-harvest losses, strengthen the leather and textile industries, support SMEs and empower young innovators and women.
She assured that the UniPod would be judged not by its physical structure but by the technologies commercialised, businesses created, partnerships forged, jobs generated and lives transformed.
TETFund: UniPods will drive knowledge economy
TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, represented by Dr Suleiman Zingina said the UniPod initiative was designed to transform Nigeria’s tertiary institutions from certificate-awarding centres into innovation-driven engines of economic growth.
He said the initiative, implemented under the National Innovation and Digital Transformation Partnership Programme, seeks to accelerate research commercialisation, entrepreneurship, digital human capital development and the transition to a knowledge-based economy.
According to him, seven University Innovation Pods and one Innovation Hub are already operational, while 12 additional innovation hubs are expected before the end of the year.
He added that the facilities would enable students and researchers to transform innovative ideas into market-ready products through mentorship, collaboration and 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 collaboration involving the Federal Government, UNDP, TETFund and strategic partners aimed at transforming universities into hubs of innovation, enterprise creation and industrial competitiveness.
The event attracted members of the Abia State Executive Council, including the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, as well as other dignitaries such as former Deputy Governor Ude Okochukwu; Pro-Chancellor of Abia State University and former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Agwu U. Agwu; Pro-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Comrade Fidelis Edeh; Rector of Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Prof. Kalu; Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Gregory University, Prof. Uwoma Uche, among many others.