Equipment Maintenance and Development Centre
About Us
The Equipment Maintenance and Development Centre (EMDC), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria which was established in 1990 by the National Universities Commission, is administratively placed under the office of the Vice Chancellor. It is a regional Centre catering for and overseeing the activities of Equipment Maintenance Centres (EMCs) in all Federal Universities located in the North-West geopolitical zone of the Country. It was later designated as a Centre of Excellence in Electrical, Electronic, and Computing Equipment Maintenance and Training by the NUC. In 2009, the Management of the Centre, after re-evaluation, expanded its mandate to include equipment development in addition to its traditional roles of equipment repairs, maintenance and manpower training. In this regard, tremendous success has been achieved. To effectively achieve its mandate, the Centre was re-organised into three units, namely: Laboratory Equipment Repair and Maintenance, Equipment Development and Fabrication, and Computer Repair and Maintenance
The mandates of the Centre are:
- Training and retraining of technical and academic staff in the art of equipment maintenance.
- Repairing of broken-down equipment and tools utilizing identified staff and where necessary, external consultants.
- Carrying out activities that are geared towards preventive maintenance of the University-wide equipment stock.
- Assisting in the procurement and installation of equipment required in the University.
- Providing equipment maintenance support, training, and repair services to the university and institutions within the catchment area.
- Providing support in equipment specification, installation, commissioning, decommissioning, ordering and stocking of spares, documentation, and inventory services.
- Documentation of University teaching and research equipment.
- Acting as a Resource Centre for technical information on equipment use, maintenance, and repairs.
- Evolving new methods of standardising instrumentation in the Universities.
- Regular inspection of laboratories, to update the inventory of University Equipment.
As of today, ABU EMDC is one of the most reliable and functional resource centres among the committee of EMDCs and the Centre has strived to live up to its mandate since its establishment. The Centre currently has Ten (10) technical staff with some affiliated staff from the departments in the university and the industries. The Centre provides equipment and laboratory maintenance training programs for Technologists, Technicians, and Academic staff from within and outside the University. It has developed various prototype equipment such as a Ventilator, Automatic hand washing machine, burner for industrial steam boilers, magnetic stirrer, autoclave, haematocrit, incubators, and centrifuges with patents, etc.
Workshop/Training
2025 Calendar
- 7-Day Training Workshop on Repairs and Maintenance of Scientific and Engineering Equipment in Universities, Research Institutes, and Private Laboratories, 9th – 15th February, 2025.
- 7-Day Training Workshop on Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System, Maintenance, and Troubleshooting, 16th – 22nd March, 2024.
- 7-Day Training Workshop on Principles of Laboratory Management, Procurement, Installation, Service, Maintenance, and Repairs of Scientific Equipment in Universities, Research Institutes, and Private Laboratories, 13th – 19th April, 2025.
- 7-Day Training Workshop on Electric Power Equipment Maintenance and Troubleshooting, 18th – 24th May, 2025.
- 7-Day Training Workshop on ISO/IEC 17025: Requirement for Laboratory Management System and Technical Competence, 22nd – 28th June, 2025
- 7-Day Hands-On Training Workshop on Modern Approach in Biomedical Equipment Maintenance and Management, 20th – 26th July, 2025.
- 7-Day Hands-On Training Workshop on Basic Computer Hardware, Networking Management, Security, Maintenance, and Troubleshooting, 17th – 23rd August, 2025.
- 7-Day Hands-on Training Workshop on Printed Circuit Board (PCB), Electronic Circuit Design, and Troubleshooting, 14th – 20th September, 2025
- 7-Day Hands-on Training Workshop Laboratory Quality Management, 19th – 25th October, 2025.
- 7-Day Hands-on Training Workshop on Arduino UNO Bootcamp for Beginners, 16th – 22nd November, 2025.
- 7-Day Training Workshop on Modern Analytical and Chemical Laboratory Equipment (Analytical Instrumentation, Equipment Calibration, Operations, Quality & Safety), 7th – 13th December, 2025.