CITAD Trains KHAIRUN Staff on Blockchain, Fintech in Kano

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has organised a three-day intensive training on blockchain and financial technology for staff of Khalifa Isyaka Rabiu University (KHAIRUN), Kano.

The training, which ended on Thursday, was part of a series designed to bridge what CITAD described as a “glaring knowledge gap” in emerging technologies among universities in Northern Nigeria.

KHAIRUN is the third institution to benefit from the initiative after Bayero University, Kano, and Baba Ahmed University.

Speaking during the training, the Coordinator, Mr Muhammad Sani Sa’idu, said CITAD’s research revealed that fewer than 10 per cent of universities in the North currently expose students to courses on blockchain or financial technology.

“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 said.

Sa’idu explained that blockchain could go beyond finance to improve university administration, including managing student records, tracking academic progress and examination processes.

Also speaking, a data analyst and facilitator at CITAD, Mr Yusuf Babagana, said misconceptions around cryptocurrency had worsened the knowledge gap.

“Some lecturers still think cryptocurrency is a scam. That mindset blocks innovation. This training is about sensitising them, breaking myths, and showing how blockchain and fintech can drive societal progress,” he said.

In his remarks while declaring the workshop open, the Vice-Chancellor of KHAIRUN, Prof. Abdulrashid Garba, commended the programme, describing it as a bold step in preparing university staff for the demands of a tech-driven world.

On his part, the Registrar of the university, Malam Yusuf Datti, praised CITAD for what he called a “timely intervention,” stressing that the training had broadened the staff’s horizon on technology’s role in shaping modern education.

“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,” Datti said.