The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the disbursement of over 6 billion in intervention funds to 271 tertiary institutions across the country in 2026. The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) will oversee the distribution of these funds, which will be allocated to universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
According to Sunny Echono, Executive Secretary of TETFund, each university will receive 2,525,932,228.02, while polytechnics will receive 1,871,059,920.53, and colleges of education will receive 2,056,527,973.04. The funds will be disbursed based on a breakdown of 90.75% for direct disbursement, 9.07% for designated projects, and 0.18% for stabilization funds.
Echono expressed concerns over the delays in processing projects for approval and implementation by beneficiary institutions. He advised institutional heads to execute their procurement planning processes early to avoid such delays. The TETFund boss also emphasized the need for better utilization of the Tertiary Education Research Application Services (TERAS) platform and adherence to the fund’s guidelines for training and content intervention lines.
In 2026, the TETFund will prioritize research and innovation, with support for the National Research Fund, institutional R&D partnerships, and the commercialization of research outcomes. The fund will also focus on laboratory and agricultural development, with plans to establish new multipurpose laboratories and demonstration farms.
The TETFund has introduced a new intervention line, the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN), aimed at improving access to global academic resources and integrating the TERAS platform. The fund will also expand its special intervention projects to cover the establishment of centers for robotics, coding, and AI machine learning, as well as cybersecurity studies.
The disbursement of these funds is expected to have a significant impact on Nigeria’s tertiary education sector, with a focus on strengthening capacity, innovation, and measurable impact. The TETFund has expressed gratitude to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for its support in collecting education tax and looks forward to continued collaboration in the implementation of the development levy in the new tax regime.
