By Felix Khanoba
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has committed N10 billion to the development of skills acquisition centres in polytechnics across Nigeria in 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen practical training, promote entrepreneurship and improve graduates’ employability.
The Chairman of TETFund’s Board of Trustees, Aminu Masari, disclosed this on Thursday at the Fund’s 2026 National Board of Trustees Town Hall Meeting in Abuja.
The meeting, themed ‘Investing in Nigeria’s Future: Tertiary Education, Human Capital and National Development’, provided a platform for stakeholders to assess the Fund’s interventions and identify ways to improve their impact on tertiary education and national development.
Masari said the N10 billion investment complemented other interventions, including support for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centres and the N48 billion approved for upgrading engineering and technology facilities in 12 universities.
According to him, the initiatives are designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, enabling students to acquire competencies needed to succeed in the workplace and explore other economic opportunities.
He explained that TETFund had sustained its support for skills development in polytechnics over the past four years, with two institutions selected from each of the six geopolitical zones annually.
The interventions include the establishment of skills development centres, provision of training equipment and consumables, and capacity building for quality assurance assessors.
“Nearly 1,000 assessors have been trained, with further training underway,” he said.
The TETFund chairman said the programme was also strengthening collaboration between polytechnics, their host communities and artisans in the informal sector.
He noted that the engagement would enable artisans to benefit from structured training, quality assurance mechanisms and recognised certification, potentially improving their technical competence and employment prospects.
Beyond skills acquisition, Masari highlighted the Fund’s investment in research, disclosing that N6.09 billion had been approved for 174 successful proposals under the 2025 National Research Fund grant cycle.
He said the grants were intended to support research into challenges confronting the country, particularly in science, technology, healthcare, agriculture and other critical sectors.
Masari also revealed that TETFund was making arrangements to establish and equip six central multipurpose laboratories across the country’s geopolitical zones to strengthen research capacity and access to specialised facilities.
In another development, he said presidential approval had been obtained for six additional Centres of Excellence focusing on emerging technologies, including robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, machine learning and cybersecurity.
“When established, these will bring the number of TETFund-supported Centres of Excellence to 36,” he said.
The chairman added that the Fund’s interventions extended to academic staff development, digital learning and renewable energy, with the objective of improving teaching, research and learning conditions in beneficiary institutions.
However, he warned that increased funding for tertiary education must be accompanied by accountability, efficient resource management and demonstrable improvements in educational outcomes.
“The substantial increase in TETFund funding under President Tinubu places an equally substantial responsibility on the Fund and beneficiary institutions to deliver measurable improvements,” he said.
Masari stressed that the ultimate measure of the investments should be their impact on the quality of education, research output and graduates’ ability to contribute meaningfully to the economy.
He urged beneficiary institutions to ensure that projects funded by TETFund were properly managed and maintained to guarantee their sustainability and continued usefulness.
The chairman also called on host communities to support the security of educational institutions, protect public assets and contribute to an environment conducive to teaching, learning and research.
According to him, the town hall meeting was designed to encourage stakeholders to share experiences, raise concerns and offer practical recommendations for improving the Fund’s interventions.
“I encourage frank, constructive and practical contributions. The purpose is to improve our work and ensure that public investment produces lasting benefits for Nigerians,” he said.
Masari reaffirmed TETFund’s commitment to strengthening tertiary education through investments that equip Nigerians with the knowledge and skills required to drive national development.
“Investing in Nigeria’s future means equipping our people to build it. That is our responsibility, and it is the standard by which our efforts must be judged,” he said.
