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The Federal Government has introduced a specialised Higher National Diploma (HND) programme in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
Bugaje said other newly introduced degree programmes included Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, and Networking
Assessing the impact of President Bola Tinubu’s administration after two years in office, Bugaje said the move was a major stride toward aligning Nigeria’s education system with global technological trends.
The NBTE boss stated that the move was also part of a broader plan to deepen the country’s engagement with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and equip young Nigerians with the digital skills needed for the modern economy.
He said: “We have unbundled the traditional HND programmes into more specific skill areas.
“This is already being implemented, and, under the Nigeria Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), we are offering even more specialised training modules in these areas.”
Bugaje added that the expansion into AI and emerging technologies was not limited to academic offerings, saying the digital tools were now integrated into the governance and oversight of technical institutions.
Bugaje said: “For example, a digital accreditation platform powered by AI has been deployed to monitor compliance with academic standards, identify faculty duplications, and curb malpractices.
“If a lecturer appears on multiple polytechnic websites, the AI system will flag it. This will help us maintain integrity in the accreditation process.”
