Vice President Kashim Shettima has charged Nigerian Universities to transform into centres of innovation, enterprise, and industrialisation as a pathway to accelerating economic growth and achieving the country's development goals.

The Vice President, represented by Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, made the remarks on Monday during the inauguration of the Manufacturing Technology University Innovation Pod, also called Manu Tech UniPod, at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, in Ikwuano council area of Abia State. The facility was established by the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the Federal Government through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund to promote technological innovation and entrepreneurship.

According to Shettima, the initiative reflects President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises education, innovation, industrialisation, youth empowerment, and economic diversification. "The University of the future must produce innovators, entrepreneurs, inventors, manufacturers, and employers of labour. Our universities must become the birthplace of industries," he stated, adding that the pod would connect researchers, industries and entrepreneurs in support of the Federal Government's target of a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

Abia State Governor Alex Otti explained that the partnership would redirect university research towards solving practical problems and creating commercially viable products, noting that effective use of the facility would shift the state's challenge from finding markets to expanding production for customers across 54 African countries and beyond.

United Nations Assistant Secretary General, Ahunna Eziakonwa, who directs UNDP's Regional Bureau for Africa, linked the project to the Timbuktu Initiative, disclosing that the programme aims to mobilise $1 billion to support 10,000 African startups, scale 1,000 businesses, and create 10 million decent jobs across the continent.

TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, represented by Suleiman Zangina, revealed that the partnership would activate seven innovation pods and facilitate 12 additional innovation hubs nationwide. UNDP Resident Representative, Elsie Attafuah, further disclosed that plans were underway to expand the UniPods from seven to 21 across the country.

Vice Chancellor of MOUAU, Ursula Akanwa, said the University would use the facility to strengthen agro processing, empower entrepreneurs and modernise manufacturing, ensuring research translates into wealth, employment and globally competitive products.