The Federal Ministry of Education has launched the upgraded Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) integrated with the Tertiary Education, Research, Applications and Services (TERAS) platform, a landmark step to accelerate digital transformation, research collaboration, and innovation across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
Speaking at the official launch in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Chief Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, FAMedS, CON, hailed the development as “a major milestone in modernising teaching and research through technology, data, and institutional synergy.”
According to the Minister, the enhanced NgREN platform will function as a high-speed national education network connecting universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education nationwide to strengthen e-learning, cloud computing, and data-driven research — aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for a knowledge-based economy.
Dr Alausa explained that the integration of NgREN and TERAS has created a unified digital ecosystem offering advanced tools such as research databases, plagiarism detection systems, high-performance computing, and institutional analytics. The initiative, supported by the World Bank through the SPESSE and ACE Impact projects, also provides cloud data centres, e-libraries, and campus-wide Wi-Fi to participating institutions.
He applauded the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for their leadership in driving the project, affirming that digital infrastructure will now anchor tertiary education reforms across Nigeria.
“This initiative represents our unwavering commitment to building an education system that is transparent, innovative, and globally competitive,” Dr Alausa said. “Technology must power the next phase of our academic and research growth.”
The upgraded NgREN–TERAS platform is expected to significantly improve digital access, research efficiency, and institutional collaboration, ushering in a new era of smart learning and innovation in Nigeria’s higher education system.
