The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has donated a fully equipped digital ICT park to the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr Aminu Maida, handed over the property to the university management led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Nnenna Oti, in Owerri, on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that construction works on the project started in May 2023 and completed in October 2024.
The ICT park is equipped with a 100-seat capacity hall, five ICT hub halls, a 24-seater lounge with eight double computer workstations, multiple workspaces, and offices.
Maida, represented by the NCC’s Director of Special Projects, Mr Philip Eretan, said that the digital park would accelerate ICT innovation, promote research capabilities.
He said that it would also drive the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy and transform ideas into market-ready solutions.
“ Each park houses, under a single roof, a multidisciplinary facility equipped with modern infrastructure, including high-capacity computer labs, simulation rooms, smart networking systems, collaborative workspaces, and halls.
“These spaces are designed to serve as incubation centres for indigenous technology solutions, contributing to the socio-economic transformation of our nation in line with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy.
“ Our goal is to create an ecosystem where state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure supports advanced education in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other related fields, while fostering cutting-edge research and skills development.
“ The facility is designed to enable the integration of emerging technologies, such as AI and the Internet of Things (IoT), into research and learning,” he said.
He reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the NCC to creating an enabling environment where the ICT sector could flourish.
Responding, Oti thanked the NCC for the intervention and said that it would improve learning and research in the university.
“We are very grateful for that and we assure you that this edifice will be put to its best use for the benefit of the university,” she said.
