The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced plans to allocate ₦2.525 billion to each university under its 2026 intervention cycle, with polytechnics set to receive ₦1.871 billion each, while Colleges of Education will get ₦2.056 billion apiece.
The announcement was made by the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, on Tuesday, during the 2026 Stakeholders’ Workshop in Abuja, where allocation letters for the year’s interventions were distributed to heads of beneficiary institutions.
Echono said the total direct disbursement accounts for about 90.75 percent of the funds, with annual direct disbursements at 50 percent and special direct disbursements at 43.75 percent.
He explained that “all universities, regardless of age, size, or enrolment, will receive N2,525,932,228.02 per university, all polytechnics will receive N1,871,059,920.53 each, and all Colleges of Education will receive N2,056,527,973.04 each.
“These funds are meant to strengthen critical physical infrastructure, enhance academic programmes, boost research and innovation, and drive overall transformation in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.”
Echono also announced a new intervention line in the 2026 annual direct intervention, the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN), aimed at improving access to global academic resources and integrating the Tertiary Education, Research, Applications and Services (TERAS) platform into NgREN.
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“With these investments, 2026 promises to be a year of growth, innovation, and measurable impact,” he said.
He added that TETFund will continue to equip and upgrade R&D offices, laboratories, and workshops, strengthen student exposure programmes through private-sector partnerships, and complete long-abandoned projects.
“Research and innovation remain priorities, with support for the National Research Fund, the Research Meets Industry initiative, and the commercialisation of research outcomes. ICT development also remains a key focus.”
Echono further revealed that multiple research labs are under development, with four expected to be completed this year and two more scheduled for completion next year. In agriculture, large university farms are being transitioned to modern greenhouses and equipment to improve productivity.
He stressed the importance of accountability and performance, urging institutional heads to fully utilise their 2025 allocations.
“We are conducting assessments of how institutions use their resources, which will inform discretionary budget allocations. Performance will guide additional allocations,” he said.
The Guardian
