At a recent two-day capacity-building workshop, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) restated its determination to drive digital transformation across Nigeria’s universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. The Fund brought together key leaders—vice-chancellors, registrars, bursars, directors of academic planning, ICT managers and repository administrators—to deepen their knowledge of two flagship platforms: Blackboard and TERAS (Tertiary Education, Research, Applications and Services).
The aim was not just technical training. It was to send a clear message: without the active involvement of institutional heads, technology adoption risks being slow or superficial. Participants were reminded that students and staff often take their cue from leadership. When vice-chancellors and deans visibly champion new systems, adoption spreads faster.
According to facilitators, Blackboard offers powerful learning management features such as interactive content sharing, collaboration tools and student analytics. TERAS, on the other hand, acts as a unified digital repository for research outputs, dissertations, and learning resources. But these benefits can only be unlocked if institutional leaders enforce policies that embed digital platforms into academic life.
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Training, Capacity Building and Incentives as Pillars of Success
Throughout the sessions, participants raised a recurring concern: while infrastructure matters, the real challenge is equipping people to use it effectively. Many lecturers and administrators still rely heavily on manual processes. Without continuous training and incentives, Blackboard and TERAS may remain under-utilised.
One bursar from a federal university noted that staff often fear digital systems because they lack confidence. “If people are not trained and motivated, they will always revert to the old ways, even when better tools exist,” he explained.
To tackle this, TETFund emphasised that workshops must not be one-off events. Institutions are encouraged to organise peer-to-peer learning, refresher courses and reward schemes for departments that demonstrate innovative use of digital tools. These incentives, combined with stronger ICT capacity, will help create a culture where technology becomes second nature.
This people-centred approach also aligns with wider global trends. In higher education systems worldwide, digital transformation succeeds not just when hardware and software are installed, but when staff are trained, supported, and motivated to innovate.
Infrastructure Is Necessary, But Not Sufficient, Without Policy Direction
While many universities still struggle with unreliable power supply and patchy internet, participants agreed that infrastructure alone cannot guarantee transformation. What is needed is policy direction.
For example, institutions that make it mandatory for final-year students to deposit their projects on TERAS will automatically build a rich digital repository. Similarly, a policy requiring lecturers to upload all course outlines on Blackboard before the semester begins ensures consistency and accountability.
These are the kinds of policy decisions that only institutional leaders can enforce. Without them, investment risks being wasted. “Technology should be treated as a strategic asset, not an optional extra,” one facilitator stressed.
TETFund officials assured participants that the agency would continue to provide infrastructure support, but insisted that institutions must also show commitment through policies that make digital adoption non-negotiable.
TETFund’s Ongoing Digital Vision and Broader Agenda
This workshop fits into TETFund’s wider digital transformation strategy. Over the past decade, the Fund has invested in ICT infrastructure, digitisation projects, and e-journal subscriptions. More recently, it launched initiatives such as institutional repositories, e-learning tools, and training for digital literacy across campuses.
In 2023, TETFund announced its collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to set up university-based innovation hubs. These centres are designed to promote entrepreneurship, research commercialisation, and problem-solving with technology at the heart of it. Such projects illustrate TETFund’s ambition to make Nigerian higher education globally competitive.
By reinforcing platforms like Blackboard and TERAS, the Fund is addressing gaps in digital learning, knowledge management, and research visibility. More importantly, it is preparing students and lecturers for a world where digital competence is no longer optional but essential.
Ultimately, TETFund’s vision is clear: a higher education system where students can learn anytime and anywhere, where lecturers have access to modern teaching tools, and where Nigerian research is not buried in dusty shelves but globally accessible.
Conclusion
The two-day workshop was more than an orientation on new platforms; it was a wake-up call. Digital transformation in Nigerian higher education cannot happen through technology alone. It requires bold leadership, consistent training, supportive policies and incentives that change behaviour.
TETFund has reaffirmed its commitment, but the responsibility now lies with heads of institutions. If they champion adoption and enforce policies, the Blackboard and TERAS platforms can reshape teaching, learning and research in Nigeria. If they do not, the gap between Nigerian universities and their global peers may continue to widen.
For students, researchers, and the nation’s education sector at large, the stakes could not be higher.
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