The Federal Government has called on Nigerian universities to introduce more degree programmes in specialised healthcare fields, including audiology, occupational therapy and clinical psychology, as it moves to address shortages of trained professionals and expand support for people with autism.
Minister of Education Tunji Alausa made the call to vice-chancellors, stressing that university courses must reflect the country’s workforce needs and prepare graduates for jobs requiring specialised expertise.
The proposed programmes include Audiology, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Clinical Psychology and Medical Social Work. According to the government, expanding training in these areas could strengthen specialist healthcare and social services while opening new career paths for young Nigerians.
The announcement comes as Nigeria faces the challenge of ensuring that people who need specialised assessment, therapy and rehabilitation can access qualified professionals. Training more practitioners locally could improve service availability, although universities will need qualified lecturers, suitable facilities, clinical placements and professional accreditation to deliver effective programmes.
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Six autism centres planned
Alausa also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to establishing autism centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The proposed centres are expected to provide access to diagnosis, therapeutic services and research. They are also intended to serve as regional support hubs for families, healthcare professionals and educational institutions.
For families raising children on the autism spectrum, access to appropriate services can influence how early developmental needs are identified and addressed. Regional centres could reduce the need for some families to travel long distances in search of specialist support.
However, the government has not provided a construction timetable, funding allocation, proposed locations or details of how the centres will be staffed and managed. Those details will be important in determining when families can begin to benefit.
Autism is a developmental condition that can affect communication, social interaction and behaviour in different ways. Support needs vary from person to person, making access to qualified professionals and individualised care important.
Universities face implementation test
The minister called on university leaders to work with Dr Victoria Amu, chairman of the Federal Government Committee for the Advancement of Audiology, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy, alongside regulatory agencies and professional bodies.
Such collaboration will be essential to ensure that new courses meet academic and professional standards. Simply approving a degree programme will not solve workforce shortages if graduates lack supervised practical experience or suitable employment opportunities.
The government says the initiatives form part of its effort to align higher education with national development needs and improve access to specialised services.
Their success will depend on implementation. Universities will need resources to train competent professionals, while the planned autism centres will require sustainable funding, trained staff and clear referral arrangements with existing health and education services.
If delivered effectively, the initiatives could strengthen Nigeria’s specialist workforce and give more families access to support closer to home. The next milestone is for the government to set out how the programmes and centres will be funded, established and monitored.
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