NgREN joins eduGAIN, boosts global access for Nigerian researchers
By Uji A Iliyasu, Abuja
Nigeria’s higher education sector has achieved a major breakthrough in global digital collaboration as the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) has been admitted into the Education Global Authentication Infrastructure (eduGAIN).
The development was announced on Tuesday after NgREN’s Managing Director, Dr Joshua Atah, signed the declaration of membership, marking Nigeria’s formal entry into one of the world’s largest research and education identity federations.
eduGAIN connects identity federations across more than 100 countries, providing seamless and secure access to online academic resources, services and collaborative platforms. The infrastructure links over 10,000 identity and service providers worldwide, simplifying authentication for researchers, lecturers and students.
Dr Atah described the admission as a significant leap for Nigerian institutions, noting that it would open up wider opportunities for international collaboration, trusted digital services and access to global scholarly content.
“This achievement positions Nigeria’s higher education firmly on the global stage. It enables our institutions to participate fully in the international research ecosystem and strengthens secure federated access to resources and services,” he said.
He added that the approval followed a rigorous assessment and voting process by the eduGAIN Assembly.
eduGAIN operates under GÉANT, the pan-European research and education network, and provides a trusted framework that allows researchers and academics to use their home institution’s credentials to access resources in other parts of the world without additional logins.
With the membership, universities and research institutions connected to NgREN can now integrate more easily with global platforms, enhancing knowledge exchange, joint research and innovation.
NgREN also expressed appreciation to the eduGAIN Chair, Steering Committee and Assembly members for approving Nigeria’s application.
As the country’s national research and education network, NgREN provides advanced ICT infrastructure, cloud hosting, digital identity and collaboration services to tertiary institutions. The organisation said it would continue to strengthen digital trust and support innovation across Nigeria’s higher education and research community.
The milestone is expected to improve the global visibility of Nigerian research and accelerate the translation of academic work into real-world impact.