Nigeria’s drive toward economic diversification received a major boost on Friday as Vice President Kashim Shettima unveiled the Mine-Tech University Innovation Pod at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, a project designed to position young Nigerians at the forefront of innovation in the solid minerals sector.
The initiative, developed through a collaboration between the Federal Government and the United Nations Development Programme, is expected to serve as a centre for research, entrepreneurship, technological development, and value addition in mining and mineral processing.
The launch ceremony, held at the university campus in Keffi, attracted key stakeholders from the education, mining, and technology sectors, including Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake, academics, industry experts, and development partners.
Representing Vice President Shettima at the event, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, described the facility as a transformative national project that aligns university education with industrial development and innovation-driven economic growth.
“Today’s event is not merely the commissioning of another university facility. It is the unveiling of a broad national vision, a vision that represents Nigerian universities as engines of innovation, commercialisation, enterprise development, and economic transformation,” he said.
Alausa noted that the Tinubu administration was repositioning education as a strategic investment capable of driving technological advancement, job creation, and global competitiveness under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He further explained that the mining innovation hub arrived at a crucial moment when global demand for critical minerals used in electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing was rapidly increasing.
According to him, Nigeria could no longer afford to remain dependent on the exportation of raw minerals without developing local processing and industrial capacity.
“For decades, we exported raw materials while importing finished products at a much higher value. We exported opportunities. We exported jobs, technology, and prosperity. But today, Nigeria is making a strategic shift from extraction to value addition,” he stated.
The Mine-Tech UniPod at NSUK is expected to provide a collaborative environment where students, geologists, engineers, researchers, investors, and policymakers can work together to develop practical solutions for challenges confronting the mining industry.
The facility features four major laboratories, including the Mineral Intelligence Lab, Material and Processing Lab, Geospatial Innovation Studio, and the Green Mining and ESG Technology Hub.
“These facilities represent the future of interdisciplinary learning and innovation. They combine artificial intelligence, machine learning, material science, digital mapping, sustainability, and environmental governance into a single ecosystem for industrial problem solving,” Alausa added.
Governor Abdullahi Sule, in his remarks, pledged the full support of the Nasarawa State Government toward the sustainability of the project, promising to provide a dedicated solar mini-grid to guarantee uninterrupted electricity supply at the facility.
“Because without providing power, the entire UniPod becomes less useful. We must ensure stable power supply so that the facility can fully achieve its purpose,” the governor said.
Also speaking, the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme, Elsie Attafuah, said the initiative was beyond mineral exploration, noting that it was about preparing Nigerian youths to compete globally in emerging industries.
“It is ensuring that universities become active participants in industrial transformation. It is about ensuring that Nigerian talent helps shape the future of critical minerals, advanced manufacturing and global energy transition,” she explained.
The Vice-Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Sa’adatu Hassan Liman, described the innovation hub as a bridge between academic knowledge and industry demands.
“Here, geologists will work beside computer scientists, engineers beside entrepreneurs, and host communities beside policy makers,” she said.
Earlier, the Director of the NSUK Mine-Tech UniPod, Dr. Aisha Kana, explained that the project was established to encourage problem-solving research and environmentally sustainable mining practices.
“So that what comes out of the universities is no longer just research products in terms of thesis and so on. It now becomes research that is targeted at problem solving,” she noted.
Stakeholders at the event expressed optimism that the initiative would strengthen research output, promote entrepreneurship among students, and contribute significantly to Nigeria’s efforts toward industrialisation and economic diversification.
