TETFund Commissions N2bn Academic Publishing Hub At UNIZIK To Boost South-East Research, Textbook Production
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has commissioned an Academic Publishing Centre (APC) at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, to boost local production of academic textbooks and strengthen research publishing across tertiary institutions in the South-East.
The centre, commissioned on Friday, November 6, 2026, by the Chairman of TETFund Board of Trustees, Aminu Bello Masari, is designed to serve as a regional publishing hub, providing modern printing facilities and professional publishing services to universities and other higher institutions across the zone.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Masari, who was represented by the South-East member of the Board, Esther Ukachukwu, said the facility was part of TETFund’s commitment to improving teaching, learning and research through strategic interventions in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
He explained that the Academic Publishing Centre was established under the Fund’s Higher Education Book Development Project, which seeks to expand access to quality academic publications and strengthen indigenous publishing capacity in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Masari disclosed that TETFund’s Board of Trustees had submitted a proposal to the Federal Government for N2 billion to commence the project in 2009, which was subsequently approved.
He added that another N2.95 billion was provided in 2019, while the Technical Advisory Group Committee was reinvigorated and inaugurated in August of the same year to strengthen the project’s implementation.
According to him, the initiative was designed to establish and equip model Academic Publishing Centres in selected institutions across the six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory, with each facility serving public tertiary institutions within its region.
The UNIZIK facility is therefore expected to provide publishing services for academic textbooks and other scholarly materials produced by institutions across the South-East, reducing dependence on external publishing services.
Masari described education as a strategic sector requiring sustained investment, assuring that TETFund would continue to introduce interventions aimed at promoting innovation, improving learning outcomes and strengthening research development.
He said, “TETFund will continue to deliver responsive intervention programmes and will be at the forefront in promoting creative and innovative approaches to educational learning and championing new literacy enhancing areas.”
The TETFund chairman, however, charged UNIZIK and other beneficiary institutions in the South-East to ensure that the facility was properly managed, effectively utilised and sustained.
“It is the expectation of the Fund and that of the Federal Government that the beneficiaries will reciprocate this gesture by ensuring that the APC located in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, is put into operation, properly managed and sustained by the host and beneficiary institutions within the zone,” he said.
He also called on stakeholders to cooperate towards ensuring the successful take off of the centre, reaffirming the Fund’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of UNIZIK and Chairman of the Academic Publishing Centre Board, Prof. Bond Ugochukwu Stanley Anyaehie, described the commissioning as a significant milestone for the university and the South-East academic community.
Anyaehie pledged the university’s commitment to ensuring that the facility becomes fully operational and serves its intended purpose.
“So, on my honour, I pledge to make use of it, and try to operate the board and also getting input from other universities to see how we can run it, and do all we can do to protect it,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor also expressed appreciation to TETFund for locating the project at the university and appealed for more interventions to support UNIZIK and other tertiary institutions in the region.
The commissioning ceremony featured an inspection of the centre’s facilities, including modern printing machines and other advanced equipment installed to support academic publishing. Dedicated personnel were also seen on duty, indicating preparations for the commencement of operations.
When fully operational, the centre is expected to provide a common platform for tertiary institutions in the South-East to produce academic textbooks and other educational materials locally, reduce reliance on external publishing services and improve the visibility of research outputs from the region.
The project forms part of TETFund’s broader interventions to strengthen Nigeria’s tertiary education system through investments in research, infrastructure and academic development.
