The Federal Government has unveiled the Mine-Tech UniPod at Nasarawa State University as part of efforts to reposition Nigerian universities as centres of innovation, industrial competitiveness and technology-driven economic growth.
The initiative was launched on Saturday on behalf of Vice President Kashim Shettima by the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa.
According to the Federal Ministry of Education, the project was developed through collaboration involving the Federal Ministry of Education, United Nations Development Programme, Tertiary Education Trust Fund and the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
The government said the UniPod is designed to strengthen research commercialisation, industrial innovation and enterprise development within Nigeria’s mining sector.
Speaking at the unveiling, Alausa described the facility as a transformative intervention aimed at converting universities into innovation ecosystems capable of producing entrepreneurs, industrial solutions and globally competitive talent.
He stressed that Nigeria’s vast mineral resources could only be fully harnessed through value addition, local processing and technology-driven industrialisation.
The Mine-Tech UniPod features specialised laboratories focused on mineral intelligence, materials processing, geospatial innovation and green mining technologies, integrating artificial intelligence, digital mapping and sustainability systems into industrial problem-solving.
The Federal Government also reaffirmed its commitment to expanding similar innovation hubs across the country to boost skills development, research commercialisation and university-industry collaboration.
