TETFund unveils 2026 guidelines, allocates over N2.5bn per university
Sonny Echono, executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), says Nigeria’s tertiary institutions will receive strengthened funding support in 2026, with universities, polytechnics and colleges of education set to benefit from increased direct disbursements, new research infrastructure, and expanded innovation-driven interventions.
Echono spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at a strategic workshop with heads of beneficiary institutions on the 2026 disbursement guidelines.
He said President Bola Tinubu has approved the 2026 guidelines in line with the administration’s renewed hope agenda, describing the approval as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to repositioning Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
He also commended Tunji Alausa, minister of education, for the speedy transmission of the guidelines for presidential approval and acknowledged the support of the TETFund board of trustees chaired by Bello Masari.
Reflecting on the 2025 intervention cycle, Echono said the fund recorded notable progress, including stronger stakeholder engagement, improved policy alignment, timely implementation of projects, and sustained capacity-building across institutions.
He said TETFund organised several strategic engagements in 2025, including workshops for heads of institutions, bursars, procurement officers, physical planners, academic planners and ICT directors, as well as a campus security workshop to address growing security concerns in tertiary institutions.
According to Echono, the fund also rolled out targeted high-impact interventions in 2025, such as the rehabilitation of medical schools across the six geopolitical zones, public-private partnership hostel development, medical simulation and technology centres, staff support initiatives, campus transportation schemes, and student start-up and innovation grants.
He said many of the initiatives would be sustained in the 2026 intervention cycle, urging beneficiary institutions to implement approved programmes promptly as additional interventions would be introduced in the coming weeks.
Echono said the 2026 disbursement cycle will prioritise direct funding, with 90.75 percent allocated to annual and special direct disbursements, while designated projects and stabilisation funds account for the remaining allocation.
Under the annual direct disbursement, 271 institutions are expected to benefit, with each university receiving over N2.52 billion, polytechnics N1.87 billion, and colleges of education N2.06 billion.
He said the funds are aimed at strengthening infrastructure, enhancing academic programmes, boosting research and innovation, and driving transformation across Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
As part of efforts to deepen research capacity, Echono announced the introduction of a new intervention line — the Nigerian research and education network (NgREN) — which will improve access to global academic resources and integrate the TERAS platform into the research network from 2026.
He also disclosed plans to expand special interventions to include centres for robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, machine learning and cybersecurity studies in selected institutions.
According to him, 12 additional institutions will benefit from the commercial farm project, while interventions in student hostels, campus security infrastructure, abandoned projects, disaster recovery, and research commercialisation will be sustained.
Echono said laboratory development and agricultural innovation would receive major boosts, with new multipurpose laboratories, agricultural labs and demonstration farms planned.
He added that TETFund’s ICT roadmap would be strengthened through expanded digital services, ICT experience centres, subscription-based internet access and continued development of the TERAS platform.
However, Echono expressed concern over delays in procurement processes and the slow adoption of the TERAS platform by some beneficiary institutions, warning that the fund would pay closer attention to compliance in 2026.
He also urged institutions to improve documentation and understanding of TETFund guidelines to reduce challenges faced by scholars and project implementers.
Echono thanked the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for the collection of education tax in 2025, expressing optimism that the implementation of the development levy under the new tax regime would further strengthen TETFund’s capacity to deliver on its mandate.
He urged heads of institutions to ensure full utilisation of their 2025 allocations as preparations begin for the 2026 intervention cycle.
