The National Universities Commission, NUC, has commenced moves to develop a National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, (STEM), Transformation Strategy aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s higher education system to drive innovation, industrialisation and sustainable national development.

The strategy was the focus of a national stakeholder engagement in Abuja, where representatives from government, academia, industry and development partners reviewed the draft document and offered recommendations to strengthen its implementation.

Speaking at the engagement, Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, represented by Director of Research, Innovation and Information Technology, Mallam Lawal Mohammed Faruk, said the initiative reflected the commission’s commitment to transforming the university system in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Ribadu said Nigeria’s development must increasingly be driven by science, technology, innovation, research and entrepreneurship, stressing that emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy would be critical to job creation, economic prosperity and global competitiveness.

He noted that the country’s higher education system must move beyond theoretical instruction and produce graduates with practical skills capable of addressing national and global challenges, particularly in healthcare, technology and economic development.

According to him, the NUC constituted the STEM Transformation Strategy Committee to develop a comprehensive national strategy through extensive physical and virtual consultations with stakeholders.

He said the draft strategy was aligned with the Federal Government’s National Development Plan and the African Union Agenda 2063, with support from the French Development Agency, AFD, through interventions in infrastructure development, faculty capacity building, governance reforms and quality assurance.

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Ribadu stressed that investment in STEM education was critical to economic diversification, industrialisation, job creation and technological advancement.

He, therefore, urged stakeholders to critically review the draft and make practical, inclusive and forward-looking recommendations that would strengthen the final document.

He assured participants that their contributions would be carefully considered before the strategy was finalised and presented for peer review.

Earlier, director of Special Projects, Dr Joshua Atah, said the engagement formed part of the broader blueprint for the Revitalisation of the Nigerian University System, supported by the AFD.

Atah explained that the initiative included a Large System Transformation Strategy designed to provide a framework for implementing key recommendations from previous stakeholder engagements.

He said the review meeting was convened to obtain additional insights and recommendations that would improve the strategy and guide its effective implementation across the university system.

Also speaking, the chairman of the STEM Transformation Strategy Committee and Chairman of the NUC Governing Board, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said the engagement was aimed at reviewing the Committee’s report and enriching it with perspectives from a broad range of stakeholders.

Ogundipe disclosed that the committee’s membership had been expanded to include representatives from universities across the country to promote wider participation and inclusiveness in the development of the strategy.

He stressed that Nigeria’s progress in education, science and technology must be measured against global best practices rather than local benchmarks if the country is to remain competitive internationally.

Using the analogy of a flowing river and a stagnant lagoon, Ogundipe said continuous exchange of knowledge stimulates innovation and breakthroughs.

He urged Nigerian universities to deepen engagement with the global academic community, embrace new ideas and contribute to international knowledge production rather than operate in isolation.

The chairman of NUC’s Governing Board called on participants to critically examine the draft strategy and make recommendations capable of positioning Nigeria’s university system to meet international standards and contribute significantly to national transformation.

In a goodwill message, a representative of the French Development Agency expressed delight at the broad participation of stakeholders, describing the engagement as an important step towards developing practical solutions for the advancement of higher education in Nigeria.

The representative called for robust and result-oriented deliberations, stressing that shared experiences and actionable recommendations would be vital to shaping the future of STEM education and its contribution to national development.