The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced plans to establish 68 innovation hubs in universities.

Speaking when a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) visited the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, Executive Secretary, TETFund, Sonny Echono, said UNDP projects like innovation, skills development, and structural reform align with the fund’s ongoing interventions.

Echono added that TETFund is currently supporting over 60 innovation hubs in the country’s tertiary institutions, and plans to scale up to 68 hubs this year, integrating them with UNDP-supported centres for greater impact.

“We started with 18 and are scaling to 68 this year. We’re replicating a model in Abuja in partnership with Israeli start-ups, and we’re working with our institutions to integrate local industries, like Panteka in Kaduna, and Computer Village in Lagos, for practical training. This aligns perfectly with your eight hubs and allows us to coalesce our efforts,” he stated.

Echono said the partnership also targets commercialisation of research, energy infrastructure for campuses, and technical skills development.

“We have recently set up a national committee on the commercialisation of research outputs. We’re building six regional laboratories across the geo-political zones, and we’re investing in energy efficiency in at least nine universities this year alone. These projects are strategic and aligned with global trends, especially in renewable energy and green economy,” he said.

Earlier, UNDP’s Resident Representative in Nigeria, Elsie Attafuah, praised the agency’s strategic direction and commitment to youth-driven innovation.

She said the visit came on the heels of the agency’s support for innovation spaces in eight Nigerian universities.

“By September, we would have established eight spaces. But the goal is not just to create hubs, it is to co-invest in ideas. We must take these ideas to scale. Who will fund these ideas? How do we de-risk innovation and ensure access to capital for youth-led ventures? That’s where this partnership becomes transformative.”

Attafuah emphasised the importance of structural transformation through value-chain development and technological advancement.