Director’s Profile

Director's Profile
Dr. Joshua Atah holds a PhD in Electronic Engineering from the University of Kent in Canterbury, United Kingdom. Prior to that, he studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Federal University of Technology in Minna, Nigeria, where he obtained both a BEng and an MEng. Dr. Atah has attended several professional training programs in ICT, Project Management, and Quality Assurance at various institutions worldwide, including the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), registered with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and the International Association of Engineers (IANG). Additionally, he is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN).
Dr. Atah is the Coordinator and Focal Point for the World Bank/French Development Agency-supported Second Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE-Impact) in Nigeria, as well as the National Coordinator for the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) Project. He served as the pioneering Project Manager and a member of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN), and he currently supervises the network’s operations. Dr. Atah was the Coordinator and Focal Point for the first phase of the Africa Centres of Excellence Project (ACE-1) from 2012 to 2020. He served as the Project Manager of the World Bank-supported Science and Technology Education Post-Basic (STEP-B) Project at the NUC from 2007 to 2012, and he was NUC’s Head of ICT Projects from 2002 to 2019.
In addition to several other ad hoc national assignments, he served as a member of the Nigerian National Broadband Council (2016 to 2018), was a member of the Implementation Committee for the proposed ICT University of Nigeria (2016), and was part of the Presidential Committee on National Broadband Strategy and Roadmap (2012 to 2013). He also served as Secretary for the Presidential Committee on Capacity Building for Outsourcing (2005 to 2006), participated in the Presidential Committee on the Development of e-learning Policy (2012 to 2015), and was involved with the Standing Committee on Private Universities (SCOPU) in Nigeria (2007 to 2010). Furthermore, he was a member of the Committee on Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities (2012) and led the Implementation Team of the Nigerian Labour Market Observatory, served as Technical Team Lead for the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development (PRESSID) (2012 to 2015), and worked as Project Manager of the Virtual Institute for Higher Education Pedagogy (VIHEP) – a UNESCO and NUC-funded project for Sub-Saharan Africa – (2003 to 2007).
The Directorate of Special Projects (DSP) was established in March 2021 to coordinate all externally funded projects managed by the National Universities Commission (NUC). The projects currently supervised by the Directorate include the Second Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE Impact), the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental, and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) Project, the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN), and the Higher Education Reform (Blueprint).
Vision
Vision: To catalyse transformative innovation through creative and developmental projects that drive strategic impact in Nigeria’s higher education system.
Mission
Mission: To develop and implement innovative projects that drive universities’ growth, improve efficiency, and enhance a culture of healthy competition within the university system. The goal is to attract donor-supported funds while providing leadership and coordination focused on capacity building, institutional strengthening, and infrastructure development in the Nigerian University System.
Mandate & Functions
Mandate & Functions:
The Directorate of Special Projects (DSP) has the following functions:
- Overall programme management and oversight and administration of projects.
- Timely reporting of progress to the Executive Secretary and the Project Steering Committee.
- Preparation of quarterly financial reports to donors on funds being managed and disbursed.
- Coordination of regular missions and support to the Centres of Excellence.
- Facilitating meetings of the Steering Committee and participating universities.
- Maintaining records of project focal points, plans, implementation strategies and progress made from time to time.
Departmental Divisions
ACE Impact Division
Units:
- Project Management
- Project Account/Finance
- Project Support
The Second Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE Impact) Project is a World Bank-supported initiative designed to improve the quality, quantity, and development impact of postgraduate education in participating universities across West and Central Africa. Nigeria is host to the largest number of Centres of Excellence under the ACE Impact Project, with 17 Centres domiciled in 14 universities across the three levels of university proprietorship in Nigeria.
The primary objectives of the ACE Impact Project include:
- Improving the quality, quantity and development impact of postgraduate education in selected universities through regional specialisation and collaboration.
- Enhancing regional specialisation and collaboration among participating institutions.
- Supporting institutional governance and financial management systems.
- Promoting demand-driven innovation and engagement with the private sector and government entities.
The Directorate of Special Projects is responsible for coordinating Nigeria’s participation in the ACE Impact initiative, ensuring alignment with national development priorities, and facilitating interactions between the Centres and key stakeholders.
The following are the centres under the ACE Impact Project:
SN |
Centre |
Thematic Area |
University |
1 |
Obafemi Awolowo ICT-Driven Knowledge Park (OAK-Park) |
STEM |
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife |
2 |
Centre of Excellence in Oilfield Chemicals Research (CEFOR) |
STEM |
University of Port Harcourt |
3 |
Centre for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER) |
Agriculture |
Benue State University, Makurdi |
4 |
Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA) |
Agriculture |
Bayero University, Kano |
5 |
Africa Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) |
Health |
Redeemer’s University, Ede |
6 |
Centre for Reproductive Health Innovation (CERHI) |
Health |
University of Benin |
7 |
Africa Centre of Excellence on Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology (ACENTDFB) |
Health |
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria |
8 |
Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative and Transformative STEM Education (ACEITSE) |
Education |
Lagos State University, Ojo |
9 |
Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety (ACEMFS) |
Agriculture |
Federal University of Technology, Minna |
10 |
Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development (ACE-SPED) |
STEM |
University of Nigeria, Nsukka |
11 |
Africa Centre of Excellence in Future Energies and Electrochemical Systems (ACE-FUELS) |
STEM |
Federal University of Technology, Owerri |
12 |
Africa Centre of Excellence for Drug Research, Herbal Medicine Development and Regulatory Science (ACEDHARS) |
Health |
University of Lagos, Akoka |
13 |
Covenant Applied Informatics and Communication Africa Centre of Excellence (CApIC-ACE) |
STEM |
Covenant University, Ota |
14 |
Africa Centre of Excellence for Public Health and Toxicological Research (ACE-PUTOR) |
Health |
University of Port Harcourt |
15 |
Africa Centre of Excellence on New Pedagogies in Engineering Education (ACENPEE) |
Education |
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria |
16 |
Africa Centre of Excellence on Technology-Enhanced Learning (ACETEL) |
Education |
National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja |
17 |
Africa Centre of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP) |
Health |
Bayero University, Kano |
SPESSE Division
The Division is headed by Mr. Peter Tobrise (Deputy Director)
Units:
- Project Management
- Project Account/Finance
- Project Support
The Sustainable Procurement, Environmental, and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) Project was launched in 2021 by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) with assistance from the World Bank. The project’s objective is to develop sustainable capacity in managing procurement, environmental, and social standards in the public and private sectors. The cornerstone of SPESSE implementation is the creation of six Centres of Excellence (CEs) in Nigerian universities to deliver a series of capacity-building tracks sustainably. The National Universities Commission’s Directorate of Special Projects in the Independent Facilitation Unit (INFU) the Project. At the same time, the Bureau of Public Procurement, Federal Ministry of Environment, and Federal Ministry of Women Affairs are the Implementing Agencies (IAs).
One federal university was selected from each of the country’s six geo-political zones to host the SPESSE Centres of Excellence. They are:
SN |
University |
Geopolitical Zone |
1 |
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi |
North-East |
2 |
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria |
North-West |
3 |
Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (formerly Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi) |
North Central |
4 |
Federal University of Technology, Owerri |
South-East |
5 |
University of Lagos, Lagos |
South-West |
6 |
University of Benin, Benin City |
South-South |
NgREN Division
The Division is overseen by Mr. Chinedu Otuya (Ag)
Units:
- Network Operations & Services
- Network Administrative Services
The Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) was established by the NUC in 2012, in collaboration with the Committee of Vice-Chancellors (CVC) and Nigerian universities, with support from the World Bank. The aim of NgREN was to create an elaborate infrastructure backbone that links all research and educational institutions in Nigeria to bridge the educational divide, enhance research and academic capabilities, and foster collaboration and academic excellence through robust infrastructure and collaborative initiatives for knowledge exchange.
An initial grant of ten million USD (USD $10,000,000.00) from the World Bank was used to provide backbone infrastructure and last-mile connectivity to 27 federal universities, the NUC, and the Secretariat of the CVC. Subsequently, other interventions such as the FGN/World Bank/AFD-sponsored Africa Centres of Excellence for Development Impact and SPESSE Projects enabled the NgREN to sustain its existing members and expand its reach across the Nigerian university system.
The network currently connects more than 30 universities in Nigeria with approximately 40 points of presence (PoP).
NgREN has empowered researchers, educators, and students through services such as:
- Access to high-speed internet service.
- Access to advanced research tools, computing resources, data storage and enabling cutting-edge research and innovation.
- Access to flexible e-learning platforms like Moodle.
- Access to global educational resources such as subscription to ProQuest, Ebscohost, ScienceDirect, and MatLab etc.
Higher Education reforms Division
In 2018, the National Universities Commission (NUC) developed a blueprint for the rapid revitalisation of university education in Nigeria. The Blueprint Strategy identified challenges facing the university system across federal, state, and private universities. In addition to the diagnosis, the Strategy outlines 15 policy goals focused on the quality and relevance of university education programmes, governance of the university system, efficiency and employability, long-term financing, human resource allocation, and professional qualifications.
The Federal Government of Nigeria requested the French Development Agency (AFD) support the implementation of the Blueprint Strategy. Following a series of meetings, AFD’s Board approved an initial credit of forty million US dollars ($40,000,000.00) to kickstart the implementation of the Blueprint Project.
Given that the grant is insufficient to cover the entire scope of the Blueprint Project, the AFD and NUC agreed that the Blueprint’s ICT-specific component, “Towards ICT-driven Universities,” will be prioritised in the first phase as the main channel to support the implementation of the Blueprint through a competitive fund project and a call for project proposals (component 1). The vision for the Blueprint’s ICT-specific axis of development is “to instigate the deployment of harmonised and properly coordinated technology platforms for collaborative teaching, learning and research under the following broad expenditure categories:
- Provision of high capacity inter and intra-institutional network and collaboration/communication network resources as well as other ICT infrastructure.
- Deployment and management of state-of-the-art ICT services relevant to the transformation of the Nigerian higher education system.
- Integration of ICT into the day-to-day activities of the higher education institutions (HEIs) for learning, administration, research, and other related services; and
- Technical and managerial human capacity development to ensure that all solutions/services/infrastructure deployed meet international standards as well as providing institutional managers with the requisite knowledge on the nature and type of services/solutions to be deployed.
More specifically, the strategic objective of the project is to enhance ICT infrastructure, governance and use in teaching and learning in selected universities under NUC’s coordination.
The proposed project on the ICT component of the Blueprint to be funded by AFD is to be known as ICT Development in the Nigerian University System (ICT-Dev) or Grant for the Development of Information and Communication Technology in the Nigerian University System.