The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) is set to introduce a groundbreaking decentralised machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to transform teaching, research, and digital training across polytechnics in Nigeria.
The initiative will be formally unveiled during a three-day international conference and seminar scheduled to take place in Abuja from November 25 to 27, 2025. The event is expected to attract local and international experts in AI, applied engineering, and technical education development.
According to the NBTE, the new AI platform is designed to eliminate barriers created by poor internet connectivity and high data costs—challenges that have long limited access to advanced technological training in many tertiary technical institutions.
The Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, explained that the project aims to democratise AI education by ensuring that students and lecturers can access world-class tools without depending on expensive external internet services. He emphasised that no student should be denied the chance to learn emerging technologies simply because their institution lacks stable connectivity.
As part of the programme, NBTE will unveil a suite of 46 custom-built AI and machine learning models developed through a global collaboration involving lecturers from Ethiopia’s Kombolcha Polytechnic, Nigerian institutions, and the U.S.-based technology firm MOC-LLC. These tools will be shared as Linux-based ISO files, enabling polytechnics to install them easily for research, classroom instruction, and practical simulations.
To ensure seamless operation on campuses, the system will run on Linux using Apache2 technology. This setup will allow AI models, simulators, and research libraries to be accessed across laboratories, classrooms, and research units—entirely offline. Bugaje noted that this decentralised approach marks a major step toward building strong national capacity in AI, data-driven innovation, engineering, and industrial technology.
A key highlight of the conference will be the signing of an implementation agreement between NBTE and MOC-LLC to establish a dedicated AI and Machine Learning Research Library Hub at the NBTE headquarters in Abuja. The hub, fully funded and built by MOC-LLC, will store post-conference resources, system updates, and research tools that institutions can later download for deployment on their internal networks.
Every participating polytechnic will receive the ISO images required to install the system, ensuring that schools—regardless of their geographical location or the quality of their internet infrastructure—benefit from uniform, high-grade AI tools.
Bugaje urged rectors and heads of ICT units to prioritise the installation and full utilisation of the new laboratories. He stressed that the initiative will dramatically improve teaching standards, strengthen applied research, and help produce a more technologically skilled workforce for the country.
Beyond training in AI and machine learning, the platform is expected to promote interdisciplinary learning by equipping students with relevant knowledge in applied statistics, advanced linear algebra, data science, and computational modelling. With this effort, the NBTE aims to position polytechnics as key contributors to innovation in agriculture, security, engineering, manufacturing, and national industrial development.
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