The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has issued a powerful call for enhanced national backing to enable the agency fulfill its core mission of fostering innovation and building local capacity. This urgent appeal was made during the 2025 Board of Trustees Town Hall Meeting in Lagos, where Echono outlined the transformative potential of TETFund's interventions for Nigeria's future.
A Blueprint for National Self-Sufficiency
Echono emphasized that robust investment in research and development is the cornerstone of national progress. He stated that such commitment would directly lead to the creation of new ideas, products, and services, which in turn would generate significant employment opportunities for Nigerians across vital sectors. A key focus of this strategy is the agricultural sector, where TETFund is committed to replacing outdated, manual farming practices with modern, locally developed equipment and tools.
Beyond agriculture, the TETFund boss highlighted the critical need to curb illegal mining activities. He stressed the importance of channelling the country's vast mineral wealth into structured extractive industries powered by Nigerian expertise. Empowering local professionals through quality tertiary education, he noted, is the fundamental step that will enable Nigeria to stop its heavy reliance on imported goods and begin refining its own natural resources.
Shifting Focus: From Infrastructure to Human Capital
In his own remarks, the Chairman of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Aminu Masari, detailed the agency's strategic pivot. He explained that TETFund is driving a systemic shift from a model heavily focused on infrastructure spending to a more balanced approach. This new model prioritizes human capital development, research commercialisation, entrepreneurship, and digital governance, aligning with President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda.
To directly address the persistent electricity crisis plaguing tertiary institutions, Masari announced a major initiative. He revealed that the sum of ₦70 billion has been earmarked in TETFund's 2025 budget for the deployment of mini-grid energy solutions across selected campuses. This project is expected to slash operational costs, boost research output, and create more conducive learning environments for students and academics.
Tangible Results and Future Imperatives
Masari provided evidence of the agency's successful investments in the research ecosystem. He cited the TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research (TETFAIR), which has already produced over 200 prototypes with strong commercialisation prospects. Furthermore, the Research for Impact (R4i) programme has equipped 939 academics with the necessary skills to transform their research ideas into market-ready products.
Echoing the need for continuous evolution, Prof. Anthony Kila, Director General of the Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), presented a paper at the event. He warned that TETFund would only remain relevant to Nigeria's future if it urgently transforms from an infrastructure-focused agency into a strategic engine for innovation, research, commercialisation, and national competitiveness. Kila sounded an alarm on an intellectual emergency, noting that Nigeria contributes less than 0.3% of global research output despite its population of over 200 million people.
Adding his voice to the discourse, columnist and former Chairman of The Guardian Editorial Board, Dr. Reuben Abati, acknowledged TETFund as a critical engine of Nigeria's higher education. However, he concurred that the agency must continue to evolve to effectively meet the complex challenges of the 21st century.
