The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has staff of Khalifa Isyaka Rabiu University (KHAIRUN), Kano, on blockchain and financial technology.
The three-day training was part of the centre’s move to deepen digital knowledge in Northern Nigeria.
A statement by the centre on Friday said that the training was designed to bridge what CITAD described as a “glaring knowledge gap” in emerging technologies among universities in the region.
KHAIRUN is the third institution to benefit from the initiative after Bayero University, Kano, and Baba Ahmed University.
Coordinator of the training, Muhammad Sani Sa’idu, said CITAD’s research revealed that fewer than 10 percent of universities in the North currently expose students to courses on blockchain or fintech.
Sa’idu said, “Lagos is already being called Africa’s innovation capital, while Northern Nigeria lags behind. With this programme, we are taking innovation to the doorsteps of universities so that they can pass it on to students, integrate it into the curriculum, and fuel the innovation ecosystem of the North.”
He explained that blockchain could go beyond finance to improve university administration, from managing student records to tracking academic progress and examination processes.
Speaking also, CITAD data analyst and facilitator, Yusuf Babagana, said misconceptions around cryptocurrency had worsened the knowledge gap.
He said, “Some lecturers still think cryptocurrency is a scam. That mindset blocks innovation. This training is about sensitizing them, breaking myths, and showing how blockchain and fintech can drive societal progress.”
Declaring the workshop open, Vice-Chancellor of KHAIRUN, Professor Abdulrashid Garba, hailed the programme as a bold step in preparing university staff for the demands of a tech-driven world.
On his part, the Registrar, Malam Yusuf Datti, praised CITAD for what he described as “timely intervention,” stressing that the training has broadened the staff’s horizon on technology’s role in shaping modern education.
Datti said, “This is more than just a workshop; it is capacity-building with a vision. Our staff can now see how technology can transform both teaching and administration. CITAD has planted a seed that will grow into innovation in this university and beyond.”
