The Federal Government has launched a Mine-Tech University Innovation Pod, UniPod, in Nasarawa State University Keffi as part of efforts to reposition the country’s universities to drive industrial growth.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who launched the project in Keffi on Friday, declared that the country must transition from exporting raw minerals to building a technology-driven mining economy.
Represented by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, Shettima disclosed that the innovation hub, supported by the United Nations Development Programme in collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, received over $2 million in equipment from the UNDP.
The Vice President described the Mine-Tech UniPod as a strategic intervention aimed at connecting education, research, enterprise and industrialisation.
He said the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda focused on human capital development, innovation and youth empowerment.
According to Shettima, Nigeria possesses more than 44 commercially viable solid minerals valued at over $1 trillion, yet the sector has continued to perform below its economic potential.
He said the country was now shifting from dependence on raw material exports to value addition, industrial processing and innovation-led growth.
“The global economy is increasingly being driven by critical minerals required for electric vehicles, semiconductors, renewable energy systems and advanced manufacturing,” he stated.
He further noted that Nasarawa State is strategically positioned to benefit from the emerging market because of its vast lithium, tantalite, gemstone and lead-zinc deposits.
The Vice President explained that the Mine-Tech UniPod would serve as a platform for students, researchers, environmental experts, investors and mining professionals to collaborate on practical solutions for Nigeria’s mineral economy.
He added that the Federal Government was aggressively implementing the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative to strengthen STEMM education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training, TVET, digital literacy, research commercialisation and university-industry partnerships.
According to him, about 160,000 youths are currently undergoing training in nearly 1,200 TVET centres nationwide, while more than one million applications were received shortly after the programme portal reopened.
He disclosed that government plans to train an additional 100,000 youths in the coming months to prepare them for emerging sectors of the economy.
Shettima further revealed that seven UniPods with different thematic focus areas had already been established across the country, covering Artificial Intelligence, Agriculture, Manufacturing and Trade, Industrial Technology, Resilience Technology, Green and Blue Technology, and Mine-Tech Innovation.
The Mine-Tech UniPod features four specialised laboratories, including the Mineral Intelligence Laboratory, Materials and Processing Laboratory, Geo-Spatial Innovation Studio and Green Mining and ESG Technology Hub, alongside prototyping spaces and a technology transfer office.
While speaking to journalists after the mine-tech unveiling, Alausa hailed the project as a major step towards transforming Nigeria into a knowledge-driven economy.
He described the project as a reflection of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to building a future-ready education system.
According to him, the innovation hub, developed in collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, and the UNDP, is designed to empower Nigerian youths with cutting-edge technological and research skills capable of addressing national challenges.
“This is a new educational system that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is building. It is based on the premise of moving Nigeria from a product-based economy to a knowledge-based economy,” Alausa said.
He noted that the Nasarawa facility is one of seven Unipods established across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with the Keffi centre specifically focused on mining technology and innovation.
The minister said the centre showcased practical solutions developed by students using modern technology, including geospatial mapping of lithium deposits, controlled blasting techniques for mineral extraction, precision machine design, and laboratory analysis of oil and gas samples from the Niger Delta and Nasarawa State.
“These are Nigerians. This is the future of our country. The education landscape is changing,” he said.
Alausa praised the ingenuity of the students, saying their presentations were comparable to what obtains in leading global institutions.
“You go to Harvard, what these students presented today is at par, if not better. This is the Nigeria of our future,” he added.
The minister also stressed the need for sustainability of the facility, revealing that discussions had already commenced on commercialising products and services developed at the centre to ensure long-term financial viability.
He further explained that rather than replicate such expensive facilities in every state, government plans to develop specialised centres of excellence capable of building national capacity in strategic sectors.
Alausa urged Nigerian youths to embrace innovation and entrepreneurship, assuring them that the current administration is committed to creating opportunities for them to thrive.
“Stop this negativity. You have a great country in your hands. The world is your limit,” he said.
On his part, the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, described the Mine-Tech UniPod as a timely intervention that would position the state as a hub for mining innovation and industrial development.
Sule announced that the state government would provide a solar mini-grid to guarantee sustainable electricity supply and uninterrupted operations at the facility.
He also urged investors, development partners and private sector players to leverage opportunities within the innovation ecosystem to support research, entrepreneurship, technology transfer and job creation.
He noted that Nasarawa State’s vast lithium and strategic mineral deposits place it at the centre of the global transition toward clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
Meanwhile, Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Sonny Echono, disclosed that an additional 20 UniPods would be established across the country before the end of the year to deepen innovation and enterprise development within Nigerian universities.
Other dignitaries at the event included Elsie Attafuah, Dele Alake, Olusegun Ige and Hassan Liman, all of whom described the initiative as a game changer for innovation, mining and industrial development in Nigeria.
