NHEF Tasks Universities on Alumni Engagement to Boost Revenue

Funmi Ogundare

The Chairman Nigerian Higher Education Foundation ( NHEF) , Wale Adeosun, Wednesday, urged Nigerian universities to prioritise alumni engagement and institutional advancement as a sustainable means of generating revenue.
He made the call at the end of a three-day intensive advancement training programme in Lagos, designed to strengthen capacity across federal universities.
Delivered over five cohorts between June 16 and July 1, the programme brought together 129 participants from federal universities across the country and equipped university leaders and advancement professionals with the knowledge, strategies, and practical tools needed to build sustainable fundraising, alumni engagement, communications, and institutional advancement functions.
In his remarks, Adeosun explained that Nigerian universities must move beyond relying solely on government funding by developing robust alumni donation and endowment programmes capable of supporting infrastructure, scholarships and academic development.
According to him, the primary objective of the initiative is to equip advancement officers with the skills needed to build lasting relationships with alumni and mobilise financial support for their institutions.
“The big takeaway is that they have had a fantastic training programme as advancement officers. They now need to go back and apply what they have learnt in their universities by developing advancement and donation programmes for alumni and finding ways to engage them so they can support their institutions,” he said.
Speaking with journalists, he explained that the broader goal is to help Nigerian universities become financially self-sustaining through diversified revenue sources.
“The government has its role to play, but we can also do our share. Universities are sitting on a gold mine, and that gold mine is their alumni,” he stated.
He stressed that creating university endowment funds through alumni contributions would provide institutions with the financial flexibility to invest in critical areas such as infrastructure, scholarships, research and improved teaching facilities.
According to him, the quality of students’ experiences while in school will ultimately determine their willingness to give back after graduation.
“The better universities treat their students, the better alumni they will become. The more willing they are to give back to their alma mater, the more financial freedom the university will have to pursue initiatives that improve teaching, learning and research,” Adeosun who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Kuramo Capital Management, stated
He added that strengthening alumni engagement and adopting global best practices in institutional advancement would not only improve university finances but also enhance the quality of education and better prepare the next generation of Nigerian graduates.
In his remarks, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, urged participants to return to their institutions and establish systems that would attract private support without replacing government funding.
Alausa who was represented by the Special Adviser on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medical Sciences ( STEMM) and Corporate Sector Engagement, Dr. Adeola Salau, stated that universities across the world can no longer rely solely on traditional funding models if they are to achieve excellence and sustainability, noting that while government remains committed to supporting higher education, institutions must develop stronger internal systems and wider partnerships.
She stressed that the National University Advancement Programme ( NUAP) was established to complement existing government investments by creating additional pathways for research funding, scholarships, innovation and long-term institutional growth.
She described NUAP as a strategic national initiative jointly implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education, the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), aimed at strengthening institutional advancement systems across federal universities and inter-university centres.
She said: “the initiative would equip university leadership with the knowledge and frameworks needed to build sustainable institutions capable of competing globally while addressing national development priorities.”
Salau identified alumni as one of the greatest but underutilised assets of Nigerian universities, saying graduates who have excelled in business, medicine, science, technology, entrepreneurship and public service should remain active partners in the development of their alma maters.
“When universities maintain strong relationships with their alumni, research receives support, students gain access to scholarships and mentorship, institutions build stronger partnerships, infrastructure improves and innovation expands,” he said.
To achieve this, she said the federal government was promoting the institutionalisation of professionally managed advancement offices across federal universities and inter-university centres.