FG rolls out HND courses in AI, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering to match global tech evolution
The federal government has launched a set of new Higher National Diploma (HND) courses in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, software engineering, and networking as part of a wider initiative to update the country’s technical education structure.
Prof. Idris Bugaje, who serves as the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), disclosed this in Abuja during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), highlighting that the purpose is to bring Nigeria’s educational offerings in line with worldwide technological shifts and the needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Bugaje referred to this initiative as a significant achievement under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, aimed at preparing the country’s youth with essential digital abilities for today’s economy.
“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 more specialised training modules in areas like AI, cybersecurity, and networking,” Bugaje said.
Bugaje also mentioned that in addition to revamping the academic content, the NBTE has incorporated digital technology into its management and supervision systems.
He stated that a major advancement in this direction is the use of an AI-based digital accreditation platform, designed to ensure academic quality, identify duplicate faculty listings, and reduce cases of academic misconduct within polytechnics.
“If a lecturer appears on multiple polytechnic websites, the AI system will flag it. This will help us maintain integrity in the accreditation process,” Bugaje explained.
Under this digital structure, technical institutions are now obligated to provide comprehensive information about their infrastructure, academic staff, and educational tools on a centralised digital platform.
As a result of this transformation, the NBTE no longer needs to send teams physically to many institutions for accreditation, which helps lower expenses, limits exposure to risk, and curbs tampering with the process.
Bugaje further explained that institutions located in distant regions with poor internet service will be evaluated by certified third-party vendors, who will then submit their assessment reports to the NBTE for examination.
Bugaje explained that these changes are being guided by the Minimum National Academic Standards (MNAS), which outline the required conditions for each National Diploma (ND) and HND course, including specifications for teaching staff, buildings, and learning resources.
He underlined that implementing these changes is essential to making Nigeria’s polytechnics globally competitive and enhancing the country’s capacity for economic success.
“Nigeria has no choice but to embed technology in education and economic development. This is how we can unlock growth and prosperity in the digital age,” he said.
The newly introduced programs and the revised accreditation process are expected to enable Nigeria to leverage technology for increasing GDP, using the progress made in Southeast Asian nations as a model.
