Nigerians celebrate Echono as he receives African Leadership Award for educational excellence

The Congratulations keep pouring for one of Nigeria’s finest public servants, Arc Sonny Echono, following his announcement as the winner of the 2024 African Leadership Excellence Award in Education Development by the African Leadership Magazine. This prestigious accolade highlights Echono’s significant contributions to education and entrepreneurship across Africa, marking a momentous achievement in his distinguished career.

The award was presented during the 9th African Leadership Magazine Summit in London, held from July 17 to 18, 2024. The summit, themed “Africa Unleashed: Business and Policy Leaders Driving Progress on the Continent,” gathered regional governors, serving ministers, policymakers, business leaders, diplomats, and thought leaders to discuss sustainable socio-economic development in Africa. In his keynote address, with the title “Education and Entrepreneurship Linkages: Africa’s Pathway to Unleashing Its Greatness,” Arc. Echono outlined his vision for the future of education in Africa. He emphasized the importance of integrating education with economic growth and innovation. His speech resonated deeply with the audience, reinforcing his standing as a forward-thinking leader dedicated to transforming the educational landscape of Africa.

Early callers include Prof Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education; Sen Geoge Akume, SGF; Dr.. Akinwumi Adesina, President African Development Bank (AFDB) Grou; Hon.. Speaker, Federal House of Representatives; HEE Tajudeen Abbas, Mal. Adamu Adamu, former Minister of Education, HE Dave Umahi, Minister of Works, HE Atiku Bagudu, Minister of National Planning, former Governors Kayode Fayemi, Gabriel Suswan, Isa Yuguda, Yahaya Bello, Ben Ayade, serving governors including HE Caleb Muftwang (Plateau), HE Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) and HE Hyacinth Alia (Benue). Paramount traditional rulers, notably HRM the Ooni of Ife, HRM the Ochidoma, as well as other eminent Nigerians drawn from the academia, business, political, diplomatic, professional, public service, and other works of life.
Appointed as the Executive Secretary on March 21, 2022, Echono has led TETFUND with a commitment to excellence and innovation. Under his stewardship, the agency has made remarkable strides in its mission to support Nigeria’s public tertiary education institutions through various intervention lines. TETFUND, which celebrates its 12th year, has been instrumental in providing physical infrastructure and upgrading projects across Nigeria’s public educational institutions. Echono’s leadership has seen the completion and commissioning of several abandoned projects, significantly enhancing the educational facilities available to Nigerian students. The introduction of new intervention lines for the provision of security infrastructure, disaster recovery, and the provision of student accommodationthroughouturther deepened the agency’s responsiveness to the needs of its beneficiary institutions.

The Fund has awarded scholarships and sponsored the training of tens of thousands of academic and non-non-teaching. This initiative has bolstered the capacity of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, ensuring they remain competitive and capable of producing world-class graduates. Echono has expanded TETFUND’s horizons through international collaborations with institutions in the UK, Belgium, Sweden, and other countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. These partnerships focus on academic staff training, research and development, agriculture, and ICT, thereby enhancing the global competitiveness of Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Under his leadership, TETFund has increased its investment in quality education and skills development, with the aim of creating a globally competitive workforce. He has driven curriculum reforms that encourage creativity, critical thinking, and entrepreneurial skills, bridging the gap between education and societal needs. The goal is to empower students to become job creators rather than job seekers.

One of Echono’s key initiatives includes the institutitionalisation of Research & Development (R&D) within Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. He has spearheaded the TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research(TETFAIR), involving 71 academic teams across the country to undertake impactful research with commercial viability. Furthermore, the Fund has sponsored the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, now set for preclinical trials, showcasing the potential of indigenous scientific research. Recognizing the need for a national academic repository, Echono launched initiatives to digitize research output and combat plagiarism. The adoption of an anti-plagiarism device has improved the quality of academic research, promoting originality and integrity in scholarly work.

To enhance the capacity of Beneficiary Institutions to deliver on their core mandate and be globally competitive, the Fund ensured the provision of N25 Billion under the 2024 Intervention for upgrade of equipment in the factories and workshops of the Institutions. Additionally, to promote the creation of an enabling environment for impactful and innovative research output, the Fund provided N6 Billion in 2023 and N26 Billion in 2024 for the establishment of four (4) Central Multipurpose Laboratories across the country.

Addressing the issue of graduate unemployment, TETFUND has implemented the “Employability Benchmarking Programme” in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). This program aims to improve graduate employability by aligning academic curricula with market demands. TETFund has also forged partnerships to transform Nigeria’s agricultural sector, a passion he shares with Dr Akinwumi Adesina from their celebrated partnership at the Agriculture Ministry a decade ago. Collaboration with the Brazilian government and Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) aims to retoolnnovate the agricultural research and innovation system, enhancing food security, improving yield, and farm farm farmers ‘omesfostering shared prosperity and sustainable economic growth.

As part of his innovative ideas, a new intervention line referred to as Career Service Centres (CSC) was created in all beneficiary institutions to identify opportunities and provide guidance and support for students’ post-graduation careers. The centers serve as a hub to connect students with alumni and employers while rendering advisory services in all aspects of employability and entrepreneurship.
Echono’s tenure has seen unprecedented Education Tax (EDT) revenue collection of N725.74 billion in 2023, leading to increased allocations to beneficiary institutions. His team spirit and collaborative efforts with the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Federal Ministry of Finance and, t,he Ntional Assembly will ensure the sustenance of this trajectory. There is no doubt that the courageous and astute administrator has revolutionized TETFund, creating a motivated and productive regime that is positioned for optimal results.
Furthermore, to entrench greater transparency and limit physical interaction with stakeholders and in line with current trends, he introduced digitization of the internal processes which entails submission of proposals by the Beneficiary Institutions online to the Fund. This commitment to efficient service delivery has earned him admiration and respect from stakeholders in the education sector.
Echono has been a pivotal force in promoting inclusive education as demonstrated in his advocacy and avid support for the student loans scheme. He also introduced an intervention line for special needs education while enhancing allowances for teaching practice supervision for greater effectiveness. His visionary leadership and relentless pursuit of excellence have earned him several laurels. His contributions serve as a beacon of inspiration, guiding Africa towards sustainable development and global prominence. By urging African leaders to invest in their people and leverage opportunities in education and entrepreneurship, Echono paints an optimistic vision for Africa’s future—one where the continent’s vast potential is fully unleashed through education and entrepreneurial innovation.

It was, indeed, a double celebration for TETEFund as the foremost intervention agency in the education sector, in the same week, emerged as the winner of the 2024 Anthology Visionary Award for Leadership in Transforming Education through Technology. The awards are befitting laurels for a man who has devoted a considerable part of his working life to the advancement of education at both national and community levels. A quiet sponsor of many underprivileged children, his empathy for and commitment to inclusive education is widely acknowledged.
Echono’s exceptional leadership has not gone unnoticed. In October 2022 President Muhammadu Buhari conferred on him the national honor of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), recognizing his outstanding service to the nation. As TETFUND looks to the future, Echono’s vision and commitment promise continued progress and excellence in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector. The Africa Leadership Excellence Award in Education Development is a testament to his impactful leadership and enduring legacy in educational development and entrepreneurship across Africa.

Arc Echono is a strong believer in President Tinubu’s Midas touch and commitment to changing the development trajectory of Nigeria. He is an optimist who not only shares the vision of Africa’s greatness but is taking concerted steps to achieve it.