The Federal Government on Friday, 8th May, 2026 launched the Mine-Tech University Innovation Pod (UniPod) at Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
The move, according to the government, was aimed at transforming Nigerian universities into centres of innovation, industrialisation and enterprise development.
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, who was represented by the Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, inaugurated the innovation hub.
The Mine-Tech UniPod is a collaborative initiative involving the Federal Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and Nasarawa State University.
Speaking at the inauguration, Alausa described the project as a strategic national investment designed to directly connect education with productivity, research commercialisation and economic transformation.
He noted that Nigeria is endowed with over 44 commercially viable mineral resources valued at more than one trillion dollars, but lamented that the country has historically exported raw minerals while importing finished products at much higher costs.
According to him, critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, graphite, coltan, tantalite and rare earth elements are becoming central to the global economy, particularly in electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, semiconductor production, batteries and advanced manufacturing.
He said Nasarawa State is strategically positioned to play a leading role in this transition due to its abundant deposits of lithium, tantalite, gemstones, lead-zinc and other industrial minerals.
Alausa highlighted key targets of the initiative, including positioning Nasarawa and Nigeria as Africa’s geographical hub for green Mine-Tech innovation, creating over 5,000 green jobs by 2028, developing digital traceability systems for mineral governance, and expanding Mine-Tech innovation ecosystems to at least 20 public universities nationwide.
“These are bold but achievable ambitions,” the minister said.
He described the UniPod concept as a complete re-imagination of the university system, not merely as centres for academic learning but as platforms for enterprise, industrial competitiveness and technology-driven development.
Alausa disclosed that seven UniPods have already been established across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones in specialised areas such as artificial intelligence, green and blue technology, manufacturing, agriculture, resilience technology, industrial technology and Mine-Tech innovation.
He added that 20 additional UniPods are expected to be established this year.
The minister lauded the quality of innovation demonstrated by students at the facility, saying the level of technological development and problem-solving on display was comparable to what is seen in leading global institutions.
He urged Nigerian youths to embrace the opportunities being created, stressing that the Tinubu administration is committed to investing in education as a foundation for national development.
Also speaking, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State described mining as both an economic and developmental necessity for the state and the country. He pledged that the state government would provide a solar mini-grid to ensure stable electricity supply for the facility.
Sule said the UniPod would give young people the opportunity to gain practical knowledge in exploration, mineral processing and beneficiation.
Earlier, TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc Sonny Echono, said Nigeria has for decades failed to fully maximise its mineral wealth due to over-reliance on exporting raw materials instead of processing them locally.
He said the UniPods represent a new model of education focused on producing innovators, entrepreneurs and job creators rather than graduates waiting for government employment.
“Nigeria has one of the fastest-growing youth populations in the world. If we equip them with the right skills and opportunities, they will become the engine of growth for the economy,” Echono said.
On her part, the Resident Representative of the UNDP in Nigeria, Elsie Gyekyewaa Attafuah, described the Mine-Tech UniPod as a timely institutional response to the changing global economy.
She said the project would help Nigeria build sovereign capabilities in geoscience, mineral intelligence, materials processing and environmental governance technologies.
Attafuah stressed that natural resources alone do not guarantee prosperity unless backed by strong institutions, strategic policy coordination, industrial capacity, innovation systems and deliberate value-addition strategies.
In her welcome remarks, the Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Professor Sa’adatu Hassan Liman, said the UniPod would serve as a bridge between academic research and industry while creating employment opportunities and equipping young Nigerians with practical technological skills.
She reaffirmed the university’s commitment to producing innovators rather than consumers of technology, describing the project as the commissioning of a future driven by scientific renaissance.
