The National Board for Technical Education has announced plans to host the third International Conference on open-source Linux, advanced machine learning, and applied interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics research.

According to a statement on Monday by NBTE spokeswoman Fatima Abubakar, the event scheduled for November 2025 at the UBEC Centre, Abuja, aims to modernise technical and vocational education and training across Nigeria and strengthen its position in the global artificial intelligence ecosystem.

According to Ms Abubakar, the conference marks a significant milestone in NBTE’s collaboration with MOC-LLC USA. It is a partnership initiated in 2024 to enhance open-source, Linux-based, and applied machine learning and artificial intelligence competencies among Polytechnic lecturers. MOC-LLC is a U.S.-based research and training body.

She said the initiative positioned Nigerian polytechnics as key drivers of innovation, applied research, and digital transformation in Africa.

This is achieved by ensuring that educators and students acquire practical skills for employment and entrepreneurship in the evolving digital economy.

As part of its 2024 modernisation strategy, Abubakar said, NBTE had  launched the open-source training programme, ‘Skills Beyond Degrees and Diplomas’.

She said that it had strengthened applied interdisciplinary STEM education, with a focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and Linux-based technological solutions.

NBTE boss Idris Bugaje, speaking in Abuja, said MOC-LLC USA brings world-class expertise in open-source systems, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, enhancing Nigeria’s capacity for applied research and innovation.

He underscored that the board anticipates the presentation of applied research outcomes at the November 2025 conference and hopes to convert them into viable projects that would generate jobs and support entrepreneurship by 2026.

The programme’s reach has extended beyond Nigeria, as Kombolcha Polytechnic in Ethiopia joined the initiative, signalling growing regional cooperation in advancing technological education and research.

Ayalew Talema of Wollo University said Nigeria and Ethiopia must collaborate to empower Africans with essential machine learning and artificial intelligence skills to lead the continent’s technological transformation. He commended Bugaje and MOC-LLC USA for opening the program to Ethiopian lecturers, describing it as a vital step toward advancing interdisciplinary research and innovation across Africa.

MOC-LLC USA confirmed that the first cohort of trained lecturers would present applied research papers on Linux-based machine learning and artificial intelligence applications during the November 2025 conference in Abuja.

A representative of MOC-LLC stated that while artificial intelligence and machine learning are not entirely new to Africans, the focus is now on strengthening applied knowledge and transforming existing concepts into practical innovations.

The NBTE–MOC-LLC USA partnership represents a defining moment for technical education in Africa, reaffirming Bugaje’s commitment to fostering indigenous innovation, sustainable technologies, and job creation through applied interdisciplinary research.

(NAN)