Shettima to Unveil Africa’s First University Innovation Pods at UNILAG

By Doreen Austins

The Vice President, Kashim Shettima is set to unveil Africa’s first University Innovation Pods (UNIPOD) at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Tuesday, 7 April, 2026.

According to a State House press release, the initiative is a collaboration between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FG) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s development framework to empower universities as engines of innovation and enterprise creation.

The Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hassan noted that the programme reflects the FG’s commitment to aligning higher education with economic growth and labour market demands.

“The UniPods are designed to address this by providing structured platforms within our universities where ideas can be developed, tested. financed, and translated into viable enterprises for societal impact and economic development,” he said

“It is not merely an infrastructure intervention but a deliberate step towards building a coherent national innovation system – one that links talent, research, industry, and investment in a more purposeful manner.”

The rollout will begin with an Artificial Intelligence Pod at UNILAG, with additional hubs planned for Abia, Akwa Ibom, Nasarawa, Benue, and Borno states.

UNDP Nigeria Resident Representative, Elsie Attafuah, disclosed that Nigeria is the first African country to scale the UniPods model through direct government investment, positioning it as a leader in building a knowledge-driven economy.

She added that the initiative will be implemented under the National Innovation and Digital Transformation Partnership Programme (NIDTPP), a joint platform between UNDP and TETFund, aimed at expanding digital skills, supporting startups, and driving job creation.