The Federal Government has launched new Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, and Networking.
The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, announced the development during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
According to Bugaje, this move is a major step towards aligning Nigeria’s technical education with global digital trends. Moreover, it reflects President Bola Tinubu’s push to modernise education after two years in office.
“We’ve broken down the traditional HND structure into more focused and practical skill areas,” he said. “This is part of our implementation of the Nigeria Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), which supports specialised training.”
In addition, the NBTE has introduced a digital accreditation platform powered by Artificial Intelligence. This innovation tracks academic compliance, spots duplicate faculty listings, and prevents fraud.
“For instance, when a lecturer appears on several polytechnic websites, the AI flags it immediately,” Bugaje explained. “That helps us uphold the integrity of our academic records.”
Under the new system, each institution must upload details about its facilities, equipment, and staff to a central digital platform. As a result, most accreditations no longer require physical inspections.
“This shift cuts costs, reduces safety risks, and limits human interference in the process,” Bugaje noted.
However, not all institutions can go fully digital yet. For those in remote areas without stable internet, NBTE now works with verified field vendors. These vendors assess the schools and send reports back for approval.
Bugaje explained that these changes follow the Minimum National Academic Standards (MNAS), which clearly define what each ND and HND programme must have in terms of faculty, facilities, and equipment.
A Step Toward Economic Growth
In the long term, Bugaje believes these reforms will help Nigeria catch up with nations that have used technology to grow their economies.
“Technology must drive both education and development in this country,” he said. “It’s the only way Nigeria can achieve digital growth and economic prosperity.”
