Turn Nigerian polytechnics into production centres, NBTE chief tells FG

The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, has urged the Federal Government to transform polytechnic workshops across the country into production and repair centres to boost local manufacturing, create jobs, and accelerate industrialisation.

Under the proposal, the workshops would serve surrounding industrial zones and commercial markets, enabling polytechnics to contribute directly to the production of goods and services while equipping students with practical skills required by employers.

Bugaje made the proposal in a presentation titled, “Nexus Between Polytechnic Education and Industrialisation in Nigeria,” at a strategic session organised by the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) in partnership with the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations (WAITRO) in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said Nigeria’s industrial development depends largely on strengthening technical and vocational education and aligning it with the needs of manufacturers.

“The nexus between polytechnic education and industrialisation in Nigeria is a relationship of cause and effect: without robust, well-funded, and practical technical education, industrialisation shall remain a mirage or pipe dream,” Bugaje said.

To achieve this, he called for stronger partnerships between polytechnics and the organised private sector to provide modern equipment, upgrade training facilities, and ensure that graduates acquire skills relevant to industrial production.

The NBTE chief also proposed the establishment of industry advisory boards at faculty and school levels to ensure that polytechnic curricula reflect the changing needs of employers and local industries.

He explained that NBTE’s minimum academic standards provide for about 90 per cent of the curriculum, leaving institutions room to use the remaining 10 per cent to address the specific needs of industries within their localities.

Bugaje further advocated replacing conventional industrial training placements with structured, long-term apprenticeships that would enable students to gain practical experience on industrial assembly lines while pursuing their studies.

Citing China’s industrial development as an example, he said technical institutions could contribute more effectively to economic transformation when practical training is directly linked to production.

According to him, Chinese technical institutions have strengthened practical learning through manufacturing facilities on campuses and partnerships with industrial zones, allowing students to combine classroom instruction with experience in actual production.

He said Nigerian polytechnics could adopt similar approaches to support local innovation and manufacturing, particularly in agro-allied machinery, food-processing equipment, and renewable-energy technologies developed from locally sourced materials.

The proposal, he added, would enable polytechnics to move beyond producing graduates to contributing directly to industrial development through the production and repair of equipment, while providing students with opportunities to acquire relevant technical skills.

Earlier, the Director-General of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo M. Ike-Muonso, said Nigeria needs to strengthen the connection between research institutions and manufacturers to translate research findings into commercially viable products.

“Research must move beyond academic publications to practical applications, commercially viable products, industrial processes and technologies that address real economic needs,” Ike-Muonso said.

He urged tertiary institutions to collaborate more closely with industries on research, technology development, and innovation, while encouraging manufacturers to draw on the technical expertise available in universities, polytechnics, and research institutions.

The RMRDC chief said stronger collaboration would help develop technologies suited to local needs, improve production processes, and increase the value of Nigeria’s raw materials.

He noted that the council’s international partnerships, including its collaboration with Chinese innovation institutions, offer opportunities to strengthen technology transfer and develop local technological capabilities.

Ike-Muonso stressed that successful technology transfer requires more than importing equipment or finished technologies, arguing that Nigeria must also develop the capacity to understand, adapt, and apply technology to its own industrial needs.

“Our aspiration is not simply to access technology, but to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to understand, adapt, develop and apply technology for its own industrial advancement,” he said.

Also speaking, the Secretary-General of WAITRO, Dr. Benjin Luo, said stronger links between universities and industries are necessary to overcome the difficulties that often hinder collaboration between the two sectors.

Luo, who noted that it was his first visit to Africa and Nigeria, explained that universities generate research findings that often require further development and market analysis before they can be commercialised.

Industries, on the other hand, need technologies to improve productivity and develop new products but often lack the financial resources to maintain their own research capacities, he said.

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“From the industrial side, we have the industry. The industry needs a lot of technology to improve the productivity and to innovate the new product. But they don’t have their own research capacities because this costs money,” Luo said.

He said WAITRO could help bridge the gap by identifying the technological needs of industries and translating them into research projects for universities and other research institutions.

Luo expressed optimism that the organisation would collaborate with Nigerian universities, industries, and RMRDC to promote technology transfer, commercialise innovations, and attract investment.

He also identified Nigeria’s human resources, market potential, and research institutions as advantages that could support efforts to attract technology and industrial investment.