Vice President Kashim Shettima has inaugurated the Manufacturing Technology University Innovation Pod (Manu-Tech UniPod), a specialised innovation and digital manufacturing hub established by the United Nations Development Programme in collaboration with the Federal Government and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, with a charge on Nigerian universities to become engines of industrialisation, technological innovation and enterprise.
The facility, located at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike in Umudike, is designed to strengthen collaboration between academia, industry and entrepreneurs by providing a platform for research commercialisation, digital manufacturing and technology-driven business development.
Inuagurating the facility on Monday, Vice President Shettima, represented by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places education, innovation, industrialisation, youth empowerment and economic diversification at the centre of national development.
He said the Federal Ministry of Education is implementing the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative to improve foundational education and strengthen technical skills, digital transformation, research, innovation and enterprise development.
Shettima who emphasized the changing role of higher institutions, said: “The University of the future must produce innovators, entrepreneurs, inventors, manufacturers and employers of labour.
“Our universities must become the birthplace of industries”.
He added that the innovation hub would serve as a meeting point for researchers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs, and would support the Federal Government’s ambition of building a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2030.
In his speech, Governor Alex Otti described the initiative as a strategic investment capable of transforming Abia into a leading centre for manufacturing and innovation.
According to the Governor, the partnership between universities and industry would shift academic research from theoretical work to practical solutions capable of generating commercially viable products and attracting investment into businesses across the state.
Governor Otti said the state government fully supported the project because it complemented its economic development agenda, adding that successful deployment of the facility would expand production for markets across Africa rather than leave businesses searching for customers.
Also speaking, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa, Mrs Ahunna Eziakonwa, said the innovation pod represents more than a conventional development intervention.
She explained that the programme forms part of UNDP’s Timbuktoo Initiative, which seeks to mobilise one billion dollars to support 10,000 African start-ups, scale 1,000 businesses and create 10 million decent jobs across the continent.
Mrs Eziakonwa urged young Africans to embrace innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurship as essential tools for addressing the continent’s development challenges.
The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Sonny Echono, represented by Dr Suleiman Zangina, said the Manu-Tech UniPod is a major component of the National Innovation and Digital Transformation Partnership Programme jointly implemented by TETFund and UNDP.
Echono, said the collaboration would establish seven additional innovation pods and facilitate the development of 12 innovation hubs across Nigeria and create an ecosystem where academic discoveries could be translated into market-ready products.
He added that the Manu-Tech Unipod innovation Hub would strengthen human capital and accelerate the country’s transition to a knowledge-based economy.
Also, the UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Elsie Attafuah, said the programme was designed to connect education, research, manufacturing and enterprise to transform talent into industries, create employment and promote sustainable economic growth.
She disclosed that plans were underway to expand the network of UniPods from seven to 21 nationwide in order to deepen innovation, attract investment and unlock Nigeria’s economic potential.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Prof. Ursula Akanwa, said the facility would bridge the gap between research and enterprise by converting university ideas into technologies, businesses and industries.
She added that the institution would deploy the innovation hub to strengthen agro-processing, support entrepreneurs, modernise manufacturing and ensure research outcomes translated into practical solutions capable of creating jobs, wealth and globally competitive Nigerian products.
