We funded over 5,525 infrastructural projects across institutions – TETFUND

The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arch. Sonny Echono has disclosed that the Fund has funded over 5,525 physical infrastructural projects and provided over 576 faculty and departmental libraries in tertiary institutions across the country. 

Echono disclosed this while presenting a paper tagged, “Funding of Tertiary Education in Nigeria,” at the 26th seminar of Nigerian Academy of Education in Abuja.

He said the Fund has awarded grants for 19,297 Institution Based Research (IBR) projects and 912 research projects under the National Research Fund (NRF).  

The project, he said, was designed to support impactful research which will contribute to national developmental efforts as well as tackle global challenges.

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The Executive Secretary said, “In addition, TETFund has funded the procurement of 3,099,871 library books in beneficiary institutions. The Fund has also sponsored the publication of 845 titled Academic Research Journals projects, and the development of 2,307 Academic Manuscripts to Books.” 

“In the area of capacity building, TETFund has sponsored 23,271 academic staff of public tertiary institutions for PhD programmes. Out of this, 4,598 were sponsored to foreign institutions, while 18,673 attended institutions within Nigeria.

“Likewise, 15,977 academic staff were sponsored for the masters degree programme. 3,525 were in foreign institutions, while 12,452 undertook their studies in local institutions within the country. In addition, 911 scholars were sponsored for Benchwork in foreign institutions and 872 academic staff for Post-Doctoral programmes specially targeted at strengthening scientific research capacity of the country.

Echono further said the interventions to tertiary institutions and other steps taken by the government have enabled Nigeria to be ranked as one of the six most improved countries in Time Higher Education Rankings between 2021 -2022.