NUC Launches New STEM Strategy to Drive Innovation in Nigerian Universities

NUC has unveiled a draft National STEM Transformation Strategy aimed at strengthening Nigerian universities, boosting innovation, job creation and industrial development.

The draft was presented for review at a national stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja attended by representatives of government, academia, industry and development partners.

Speaking at the event, NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, said Nigeria’s development must increasingly rely on science, technology, innovation, research and entrepreneurship.

Represented by the Director of Research, Innovation and Information Technology, Lawal Faruk, Ribadu highlighted artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy as key areas for job creation, economic growth and global competitiveness.

He stressed the need for universities to move beyond theoretical teaching and equip graduates with practical skills capable of addressing challenges in healthcare, technology and the wider economy.

According to him, the NUC constituted a committee to develop the national STEM strategy after extensive consultations with stakeholders across the country. The draft aligns with the Federal Government’s national development plan and the African Union Agenda 2063.

The initiative is also supported by the French Development Agency (AFD), particularly in infrastructure, faculty development, governance reforms and quality assurance.

Ribadu urged stakeholders to provide practical and inclusive recommendations to strengthen the document before its finalisation and peer review.

Chairman of the committee, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said the review was designed to enrich the strategy with contributions from universities and other stakeholders across Nigeria.

Ogundipe, who is also Chairman of the NUC Governing Board and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, urged Nigerian universities to benchmark themselves against global best practices, strengthen international collaboration and contribute more actively to global knowledge production.

He said broader participation in the development of the strategy would help ensure that Nigeria’s university system is better positioned to support national transformation and compete internationally.

Earlier, NUC Director of Special Projects, Dr Joshua Atah, said the initiative forms part of efforts to revitalise the Nigerian university system and provide a framework for implementing recommendations from previous stakeholder engagements.

A representative of the AFD described the engagement as an important step towards developing practical solutions for improving higher education in Nigeria.