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Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) has received a major boost in its goal of becoming a leading center for artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
This comes after MOC-AI International’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Mfon Okpok, a Nigerian resident in the US, donated $20,000 worth of high-performance artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) servers to the institution.
The donation was made at the opening ceremony of the NBTE-NCCE-MOC AI/Machine Learning International Conference and Seminar for South-West Polytechnics and Colleges of Education hosted by the institution in Lagos.
Presenting the equipment, Dr. Okpoku said the donation is aimed at strengthening AI research, innovation and practical training in higher education institutions in Nigeria, first describing YABATECH as a strategic partner in promoting technology-driven education.
He said this was to fulfill a promise he made to his late father while growing up and focusing on his passion for technical education.
He noted that access to modern computing infrastructure is essential to developing regional capabilities in artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science, adding that the servers will provide instructors, researchers and students with the computing power they need to work on advanced AI projects.
He also donated the same server to two colleges of education in the south-western region of the country, each at the same cost.
Accepted the donation on behalf of the university, Dr. Eng. YABATECH Rector Ibraheem Abdul said the initiative is a landmark investment in the future of technical education in Nigeria.
Abdul said the server will significantly enhance the university’s ability to provide cutting-edge training, support research activities, and position the university as a regional hub for artificial intelligence education and innovation.
He expressed his gratitude to MOC-AI International for partnering with YABATECH in driving digital transformation and ensuring that equipment is effectively deployed to support teaching, learning, research and skills development.
The Chancellor said the gift is in line with the university’s strategic vision to produce graduates with the new digital competencies needed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The event also saw the opening of the NBTE-NCCE-MOC AI/Machine Learning International Conference, where officials from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and South West Polytechnics and Colleges of Education called on lecturers to leverage artificial intelligence and continuously upgrade their digital skills.
Representatives from both regulators said AI is an essential tool to transform education, learning and research, and urged academics to become innovators who can develop indigenous technological solutions for national development.
No less than 54 Yabatech staff, among other participants at the conference, commended MOC-AI International’s donation, saying it is a practical demonstration of the private sector’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s technology and education ecosystem.
The conference featured intensive hands-on training sessions on artificial intelligence, machine learning and emerging digital technologies for lecturers and researchers from higher education institutions across the South West.
