The National Universities Commission says it has received the first part of the $40 million loan approved by the French Development Agency to support new ICT projects in 10 selected Nigerian universities.
The Executive Secretary of the commission, Abdullahi Ribadu, confirmed the development on Wednesday during the first meeting of the newly inaugurated 13th NUC Board in Abuja.
Ribadu said the commission got €3 million as the initial release from the loan package, which will be used to begin the ICT Blueprint Project in the beneficiary institutions.
He said, “We have secured a $40 million loan from the French Development Agency for the ICT Blueprint Project in 10 selected universities. Only yesterday, the director confirmed to me that the first tranche of €3 million has been deposited in our CBN account to start the process.”
Ribadu said the commission has spent the past year improving areas such as research, digital growth, entrepreneurship and skills development across universities.
He said, “We have strengthened internal financial management, expanded access to university education through the licensing of new private universities, and approved new programmes and units.
“We have also supported the take-off of publicly funded universities, expanded open and distance learning centres, and continued system-wide quality assurance exercises. The 2025 Accreditation Exercise is currently ongoing.”
The Executive Secretary asked the board to work with the commission to sustain reforms in the university system.
He said, “We will rely on your wisdom to guide us as we carry out our duties. I am confident that your collective experience will strengthen the commission’s capacity to guide the Nigerian university system as higher education continues to evolve.
“We also look forward to using your networks to help advance projects and partnerships that will benefit the commission and the entire university system.”
Chairman of the 13th NUC Board, Emeritus Professor Oluremi Aina, thanked President Bola Tinubu for supporting the university sector.
Aina said the board is taking office at a time when universities are under pressure to meet global standards.
He explained that the board’s work will focus on five key areas including better performance evaluation, improved university rankings, digital literacy, research development and institutional reforms.
He said, “We must examine in detail the act that established the NUC. We should compare ourselves against global standards, not sentiments. Where we fall short, we must adjust boldly.
“Advancements must also be made to enhance digital literacy and especially the use of artificial intelligence as tools to reposition the universities. It will be a priority for the board to work with management for major improvements in both the global and webometric ranking of our universities.”
Aina said the board will also identify problems holding universities back.
He said, “Governance issues, poor funding and research stagnation must no longer be accepted as normal. Our duty is to reform and make progress.
“We must also explore new channels for sustainable funding because universities cannot thrive on ingenuity alone. Strengthening staff welfare and the NUC’s regulatory capacity will also be central to our work.”
The chairman added that technology will be used to support the board’s operations.
“We will seek to leverage technology to ease our work through digital platforms for the advancement of our objectives. This board carries the expectations of the Nigerian people,” he said.
Earlier this year, the French Development Agency approved a €38 million credit facility for the commission to support the digital transformation of 10 federal universities under the Blueprint-ICT-Dev Project.
The project aims to improve digital infrastructure, build ICT skills and promote digital learning in the selected schools.
