By Janet Salihu
The Federal Government is exploring new international academic partnerships aimed at giving Nigerian university students stronger practical skills in emerging technologies, including robotics, artificial intelligence, data science, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during discussions with the leadership of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania, United States, where he examined how Transnational Education (TNE) could be used to strengthen practical STEM training in Nigerian universities.
Alausa, who led a Nigerian delegation to the university ahead of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, toured its STEM laboratories and applied-learning facilities, where students demonstrated projects in robotics, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, data analytics, biotechnology, health sciences and interactive media.
The demonstrations offered the Nigerian delegation an insight into an education model that combines classroom teaching with laboratory experimentation, research, technology and problem-solving.
Speaking during the engagement, Alausa said Nigeria was interested in developing structured partnerships that would enable Nigerian universities to gain from international expertise while building capacity locally.
He explained that Transnational Education should not be limited to obtaining foreign qualifications, but should also facilitate knowledge transfer, research collaboration, faculty development, innovation and stronger relationships between universities and industry.
Nigeria, through the National Universities Commission, already has a framework for TNE covering joint and twinning programmes, articulation arrangements, branch campuses, online and blended learning, franchised programmes, joint research initiatives, as well as faculty and student exchanges.
The minister said such arrangements could provide Nigerian institutions with opportunities to strengthen laboratory-based teaching, improve research capacity and expose students to technologies shaping the global economy.
Areas discussed during the visit included artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, robotics, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology and health sciences.
Alausa also interacted with Nigerian and other African students at Harrisburg University, stressing the importance of maintaining academic and cultural connections among Africans studying abroad.
The engagement also reflected the theme of the African Cultural Festival 2026, “The Great Reunion: Culture, Education, and Collaboration,” which promotes education, cultural exchange and collaboration as tools for strengthening ties among Africans.
The meeting was attended by Harrisburg University’s Chief Strategy Officer, David Clickner; Department Chair, Manufacturing Systems, Richard Pitts Jr., Ph.D.; Executive Director, Strategic Healthcare Initiative, Dr. Luanne Reese Hutchinson; Wole Adeniyi of the African Cultural Festival; and Nigerian and other African students.
Alausa said the Federal Ministry of Education would continue to pursue international partnerships capable of producing practical benefits for Nigerian students and institutions, particularly in skills development, research, innovation and technology.
He added that the Ministry’s education reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda would continue to prioritise skills and innovation needed to prepare Nigerian graduates for the demands of the global knowledge economy.
