By Ejiofor Toochi
Edited by Sunkanmi Adewunmi
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced plans to ensure Nigeria’s tertiary institutions are well-equipped to flourish in an increasingly evolving digital age.
Speaking at the 2025 National Town Hall Meeting held on Monday, the Chairman of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari said the agency is committed to supporting a knowledge-driven future.
He explained, “The future of education is digital, and TETFund is deliberately positioning Nigerian tertiary institutions to thrive in that future.” A key part of this, he said, is the TETFund Education Resource and Administration System (TERAS), a digital platform designed to ‘streamline administrative processes, promote accountability, and facilitate the monitoring and tracking of projects across campuses.’ The platform also supports digital learning tools, thereby strengthening e-learning and digital literacy for students and researchers nationwide.
Masari stressed that these investments are aimed at improving transparency, enhancing operational efficiency and expanding digital literacy across campuses, factors he believes are essential for preparing students for a modern knowledge economy.
According to Masari, the Fund has broadened its focus beyond infrastructure to foster innovation and research in the country. He highlighted several ongoing programmes that reflect this shift. One is the TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research (TETFAIR), which has already supported innovators to develop over 200 prototypes. Another is Research for Impact (R4i), which equips academics with the skills required to transform ideas into market-ready products. So far, 939 Nigerian academics have benefited from the initiative.
Masari also referenced the establishment of multidisciplinary research laboratories across the geopolitical zones, designed to provide world-class facilities for scientific inquiry. In addition, TETFund has set up various Centres of Excellence focused on fields such as agriculture, engineering, ICT, health sciences and environmental sustainability. He also mentioned the Nigerian Education Data Initiative (NEDI), which gathers real-time data to support evidence-based policymaking and system-wide planning.
“TETFund is not just about erecting physical structures. It is about building globally competitive institutions driven by innovation, knowledge and human capital,” Masari said.
TETFund’s push to digitise Nigeria’s tertiary education system could have significant implications. With improved digital tools and e-learning platforms, students will have better access to educational resources, making learning more flexible. Researchers and innovators also stand to benefit from modern laboratories and innovation hubs, enabling them to transform ideas into viable products and solutions that can drive economic growth.
