Nigeria is establishing six new centres dedicated to artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, and cybersecurity in public universities as part of efforts to address the country’s growing technology skills gap and strengthen its digital economy.
“We are not only addressing issues around national security, but we are also preparing future generations of our youthful population to contribute meaningfully to national development and to fill knowledge and skills gaps globally,” said Sonny Echono, Executive Secretary of TETFund.
Echono made the remarks in Abuja during the inauguration of the TETFund Advisory Committee on Robotics, Coding, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning Centres, and Cybersecurity.
The initiative is expected to provide students and researchers with advanced facilities for emerging technologies while strengthening Nigeria’s research capabilities in areas such as cybersecurity, automation, and artificial intelligence.
The Problem: Nigeria faces a growing AI and cybersecurity skills gap
Africa’s digital economy is expanding rapidly, but the supply of skilled technology professionals remains far below demand.
The continent currently has an estimated 700,000 professional software developers, yet industry projections suggest Africa will need more than four million tech professionals by 2030 to sustain its digital transformation.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and most populous nation, faces an especially urgent challenge. While the country produces thousands of university graduates each year, many lack practical skills in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and cybersecurity.
The gap is particularly concerning given the rising frequency of cyberattacks. According to the Global Threat Intelligence Report by Check Point Research, Nigerian organisations experience about 4,701 cyberattacks per week, highlighting the urgent need for trained cybersecurity professionals. Nigeria’s number of attacks was closely followed by Angola’s 4,512 attacks per organisation per week, while Kenya recorded 2,172 weekly attacks per organisation.
TechMedia had previously reported that Kenya recorded more than 4.5 billion cyber threats within a period of three months, between April and June 2025. This was directly linked to Kenya losing KES 29.9 billion (US$230 million) to cybercrime during the same period.
In Nigeria, banks experienced a 602.98 percent increase in losses due to cybercrime, bringing the total to ₦3.29 billion in Q1 2025.
Amid the increase in attacks and their financial impact, 82% of African organisations are unable to find qualified cybersecurity and AI professionals—a global high that is directly linked to the $5 billion in cybercrime losses the continent faced in 2025.
Without stronger domestic training systems, many African countries risk relying heavily on foreign technology expertise while losing local talent to global markets.
The Solution: Six university centres to train AI and robotics talent
To address this challenge, Nigeria’s government is expanding its technology training infrastructure through the TETFund Centres of Excellence programme.
The programme already supports 30 specialised research hubs in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The addition of six new centres focused on robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cybersecurity will expand the network to 36 centres nationwide once operational.
The centres will be located within selected public universities and equipped with advanced research facilities to support teaching, experimentation, and innovation in emerging technologies.
The initiative also aligns with Nigeria’s broader push to develop domestic expertise in artificial intelligence following the rollout of the country’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
An advisory committee chaired by Yakubu Ochefu, former Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, will oversee the selection of host universities and ensure the process follows transparent, merit-based criteria across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The government hopes that embedding these centres within universities will allow students to gain hands-on experience in critical technologies while fostering research partnerships with industry and government agencies.
Why it matters: Building Africa’s future technology workforce
Expanding access to advanced technology education could significantly strengthen Nigeria’s role in Africa’s digital economy.
By providing students with training in artificial intelligence, robotics, and cybersecurity, the initiative could help create a pipeline of skilled professionals capable of developing new technologies, building startups, and supporting digital transformation across industries.
The centres could also help reduce youth unemployment by directing graduates toward high-demand fields such as machine learning, data science, and cybersecurity—sectors where global demand continues to outpace supply.
For many students, the centres may offer opportunities that were previously accessible only through expensive private technology bootcamps or overseas education.
If successful, the programme could not only improve Nigeria’s cybersecurity resilience but also position the country as a major source of technology talent for Africa and the global digital economy.