UMUAHIA — Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria’s universities must evolve beyond their traditional role of producing graduates to become centres of innovation, industrialisation and enterprise capable of driving 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 catalysts for 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 heart of national development.
According to Shettima, Nigeria can no longer afford to separate education from production, research from enterprise or knowledge from national prosperity.
“The universities of the future must not merely produce graduates; they must produce innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs and employers of labour,” he said.
He explained that the Manu-Tech UniPod would bridge the longstanding 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.
The Vice President noted that the project complements the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, technical and vocational training, digital transformation, research capacity and innovation across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
Highlighting Aba’s reputation as one of Africa’s leading manufacturing hubs, Shettima said the innovation centre would create stronger linkages between the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and cutting-edge university research, opening fresh opportunities for commercialisation, investment and exports under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He also commended Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, for his commitment to education, healthcare, security, technology and industrial development, describing him as “a performing governor” who is laying the foundation for sustainable economic growth.
“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,” Shettima said.
UniPod aligns with Abia’s economic vision — Otti
In his remarks, Governor Otti described the Manu-Tech UniPod as a significant milestone in Abia State’s ambition to become Nigeria’s foremost hub for innovation, manufacturing and enterprise.
He said sustainable development is best achieved through strategic partnerships and applauded the collaboration between the Federal Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in establishing the innovation centre.
According to the governor, the National Innovation and Digital Transformation Partnership Programme is expected to equip about 500,000 students and researchers with technological and entrepreneurial skills needed to transform academic research into commercially viable products and services.
Otti expressed confidence that the UniPod would redirect university research towards solving real-world industrial challenges, strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises, boost investor confidence and accelerate economic growth.
He added that the facility aligns seamlessly 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 the 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, researchers and entrepreneurs to seize the opportunities provided by the UniPod to build globally competitive businesses.
Africa’s next global innovation can emerge from Abia — UNDP
Also 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 an emerging innovation hub with the potential to shape Africa’s technological future.
She said the Manu-Tech UniPod forms part of a broader initiative designed to mobilise $1 billion to support 10,000 African startups, scale at least 1,000 high-growth enterprises and create millions of jobs across the continent.
“Africa will not wait for the world to develop it; Africa will develop itself,” Eziakonwa said.