MOC-AI donates $20,000 server to YABATECH, boosts digital education drive

Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) steps up to becoming a leading centre for digital innovation, following the donation of a $20,000 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning server by MOC-AI International, a US-based firm founded by a Nigerian.

Mfon Okpok, the chief executive officer of MOC-AI International, presented the equipment at the opening 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.

Okpok said the donation forms part of a broader push to strengthen AI research, innovation and practical training across Nigerian tertiary institutions, with YABATECH selected as the pilot beneficiary given its standing as a strategic partner in technology-driven education.

“It is to fulfil my promise to my late father while growing up and passion for technical education,” he said, explaining the personal motivation behind the gesture.

He emphasised that access to modern computing infrastructure remains a critical bottleneck to building local capacity in artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science, adding that the server would give lecturers, researchers and students the processing power needed to execute advanced AI projects. MOC-AI International also extended similar donations, each worth $20,000, to two colleges of education in the South-West.

Ibraheem Abdul, rector of YABATECH, receiving the equipment on behalf of the institution, described the donation as a landmark investment in the future of technical education in Nigeria, one that would sharpen the College’s capacity to deliver advanced training and support research.

Abdul said the equipment positions YABATECH as a regional hub for AI education and innovation, and thanked MOC-AI International for partnering with the College on its digital transformation agenda.

He assured that the server would be deployed to support teaching, learning, research and skills development, in line with the institution’s strategy of producing graduates equipped for the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The donation coincided with the opening of the NBTE-NCCE-MOC AI/Machine Learning International Conference, where officials of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), alongside representatives of polytechnics and colleges of education across the South-West, urged lecturers to embrace artificial intelligence and continually upgrade their digital skills.

Representatives of both regulatory bodies described AI as an indispensable tool for transforming teaching, learning and research, and called on academics to move beyond consumption of technology to developing home-grown solutions for national development.

At least 54 YABATECH staff, among other participants at the conference, commended MOC-AI International for the donation, calling it a practical demonstration of private-sector commitment to Nigeria’s technological and educational ecosystem.

The conference also featured hands-on training sessions in artificial intelligence, machine learning and other emerging digital technologies for lecturers and researchers drawn from tertiary institutions across the South-West.