Nigeria Activates Mining Technology UniPod at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, as National UniPod Rollout Sustains Momentum
Nigeria Activates Mining Technology UniPod at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, as National UniPod Rollout Sustains Momentum
May 8, 2026 – The Federal Government of Nigeria, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), today activated the Mining Technology and Resource Innovation University Innovation Pod (UniPod) at Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), the North-Central node of Nigeria’s rapidly expanding National Innovation Network.
The activation marks a significant milestone in the national UniPod rollout that began with the flagship AI UniPod at the University of Lagos in April 2026. With the NSUK Mining Technology UniPod now live, Nigeria’s university-led innovation infrastructure is now in the heart of its most mineral-rich region, turning decades of geological endowment into a platform for enterprise, research, and economic transformation.
Backed by over ₦30 billion in public investment, the Nigeria Innovation Network spans six geopolitical zones and is aligned to Nigeria’s priority development sectors. The network includes the AI UniPod at the University of Lagos; the Agriculture and Food Systems UniPod at Benue State University; the Resilience and Recovery UniPod at the University of Maiduguri, Borno; the Manufacturing and Trade UniPod at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia; the Green and Blue Economy UniPod at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom; and the Industrial and Government Technology UniPod at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna (ongoing). Together, they form the foundation of a national platform that will scale to additional universities nationwide.
Speaking at the official launch, the Governor of Nasarawa State, His Excellency Abdullahi Sule, stated:
“Nasarawa is ready to lead Nigeria’s next industrial frontier. The Mine-Tech UniPod positions our state as a hub for mining innovation, research, and technology-driven industrial development – powered by our vast lithium and strategic mineral resources. To ensure sustainability, the Nasarawa State Government will provide a solar mini-grid for uninterrupted power supply to the facility. We invite investors, academia, development partners, and the private sector to join us in building an innovation ecosystem that drives technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and jobs for young Nigerians.”
Nigeria holds over 40 commercially viable solid minerals. Nasarawa State alone sits on significant deposits of lithium, baryte, coal, tin, columbite, gold, and copper. For much of Nigeria’s history, these resources have been extracted from the ground and left the country with very little value retained locally. The global energy transition has changed the stakes entirely. Lithium and other transition minerals are now central to the batteries, technologies, and industrial systems powering the next global economy. Countries that can mine, process, and innovate around these minerals will hold lasting economic leverage, and the countries that do not, will remain suppliers to someone else’s industrial future.
The Honourable Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa speaking on behalf of H.E the Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON , added:
“I extend commendations to H.E. Governor of Nasarawa, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, for his continued efforts to regularise the mining sector within the state and for his strong support towards the growth and development of Nasarawa State University. For too long, Nigeria exported raw minerals while exporting jobs, innovation, and industrial opportunities alongside them. That must change. Nigeria must begin to regulate, process, trace, and add value to our mineral resources in ways that create prosperity for our people and position us competitively in the global economy.
With over $2 million invested by UNDP to build this centre, alongside the support of TETFund and other strategic partners, this UniPod now stands as a world class hub for innovation, mineral intelligence, green mining technology, and enterprise development.”
The Mining Technology UniPod at NSUK is Nigeria’s answer to that challenge. Within the UniPod, young innovators and researchers are working on applied solutions for safer and more efficient extraction, mineral processing technologies, environmental management in mining, and startup enterprise development anchored in the sector. Learning is directly linked to enterprise creation, enabling young Nigerians to build solutions, develop ventures, and generate economic value while still within the university system.
Speaking at the activation, Ms. Elsie G. Attafuah, Resident Representative, UNDP Nigeria, said:
“ Nigeria stands today at a defining crossroads. Beneath this nation’s soil lies one of the most diverse and strategically significant mineral systems on the African continent, yet the solid minerals sector still contributes far below its full potential to national prosperity. At the same time, the global economy is entering a critical minerals era, driven by demand for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, battery storage, advanced electronics, industrial manufacturing, and digital technologies. Minerals such as lithium, graphite, coltan, tantalite, and rare earth elements are no longer simply commodities; they are strategic assets shaping the industrial and geopolitical order of the twenty-first century.”
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The Nasarawa State University, Keffi, is not an arbitrary host for this role. It is home to one of Nigeria’s longest-running faculties of geology and mining science and to the world’s first Centre for Medical Geology. Its research partnerships with international geological institutions add a depth of expertise to this sector. It is the right institution at the right moment in Nigeria’s minerals story.
The Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Sa’adatu Hassan Liman, stated:“ We are not merely commissioning a facility, we are commissioning a future. A future where Nasarawa State University, Keffi becomes the intellectual engine room of Nigeria’s mining renaissance; where a community of practice for Mine-Tech Innovation in Nigeria anchored by the MineTech UniPod would link academic, research, and applied technology capacities across regions, enabling knowledge exchange, collaborative research, and co-creation of industry solutions. ~Professor Sa’adatu Hassan Liman, Vice-Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK).”
Also speaking at the launch the Executive Secretary Arc. Sonny S.T, TETFund stated that – Nigerians have excelled all around the world. When you give them the opportunity and the challenge, they seize it. This is our moment, the Federal Government through this precedent, is providing that platform to young Nigerians. Between now, I believe, the end of the year, as many as 20 of these will come on board. We want this to be the platform that reflect the new face of education in Nigeria. And so, I challenge the youths of our country to seize this moment.”
Other key speakers included the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Solid Mineral Development – Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo(FNSE), Honorable Commissioner Princess Dr. Margaret Itake Elayo, Environment & Natural Resources – Nasarawa State, President Miners Association of Nigeria – Dr. Dele Ayanleke and Director General Prof. Olusegun Omoniyi Ige– Nigeria Geological Survey Agency and the President of Nigerian Mining and Geo-Sciences Society – Ms. Rose Chundung Ndong.
As Nigeria advances its reform agenda and positions itself within a global economy increasingly defined by technology and resource sovereignty, the Mining Technology UniPod at NSUK represents a practical and powerful step toward ensuring that Nigeria’s mineral wealth builds Nigerian futures.
