By JOHN ONAH, Abuja –
In a major steps to modernise Nigeria’s public universities through digital innovation, the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), on Tuesday July 1, 2025, formally launched the Blueprint-ICT-Dev Project in Abuja.
The initiative, backed by a €38 million credit facility from the French Government through AFD, aimed to strengthen digital infrastructure and ICT capacity across selected Nigerian federal universities.
The formal launch, which took place in Abuja and hosted by the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, brought together eminent dignitaries, including the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Mr Marc Fonbaustier, the Country Director of AFD, Mr Xavier Muron, and Vice-Chancellors, and Project Team Leads from the 10 participating federal universities.
The event was presided over by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and witnessed by key stakeholders, including the French Ambassador to Nigeria, representatives of the French AFD, Vice-Chancellors, and development partners.
Speaking, Dr. Alausa said the latest intervention targets higher education with a specific focus on building smart campuses, promoting hybrid learning, improving research infrastructure, and embedding digital systems across universities.
“Blueprint-ICT-Dev is not just a technological upgrade. It is a strategic investment in the future of Nigerian education, supporting the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he stated.
It would be recalled that the origins of the project date back to 2018, when the NUC developed a revitalisation blueprint for Nigeria’s university system, identifying ICT as the linchpin of meaningful reform. Out of 26 federal universities established before 2011, 10 were selected through a competitive process that included proposal assessments and site visits.
The selected universities include the University of Calabar in the South-South; University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka in the South-East; University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in the South-West; Federal University of Technology, Minna and University of Jos in the North-Central; University of Maiduguri and Modibbo Adama University, Yola in the North-East; and Bayero University, Kano in the North-West.
These institutions, according to the Minister, are expected to serve as Centres of Excellence in ICT integration and education innovation, especially in teacher training, digital skills, online learning, and research management.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, expressed optimism that this it is already exploring additional funding avenues to expand the initiative to more universities.
“In line with this vision, I urge all universities, both those participating in the Blueprint-ICT-Dev Project and those awaiting future phases, to begin the automation of institutional processes, including but not limited to:
Staff and student data management, online processing of academic results and transcripts, digitised governance and administration workflows.
“I also urge all Vice-Chancellors to view the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) as more than just a broadband network, but rather as the digital lifeline of our academic community,” he added
The Blueprint-ICT-Dev Project is a flagship initiative and a critical component of the broader Blueprint for the Rapid Revitalisation of University Education in Nigeria, developed by the NUC in 2018 as a strategic response to critical challenges in the Nigerian University System (NUS).
These challenges include insufficient infrastructure for teaching and research, inadequate ICT integration, weak research capacity, inadequate access to university education and the need for more efficient governance and academic service delivery.
