Nigeria Moves to Bridge Research–Industry Gap at NAS Confab

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to building a knowledge-based economy driven by Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Udeh, said this at the opening of a two-day 7th Annual Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) in Abuja on Wednesday.

The conference was with the theme ‘From Research to Market: The Making of Knowledge-based Economies’.

Represented by Dr Olugbenga Fadigbe, the minister said that in a world defined by innovation, it was very important that Nigeria moved beyond mere knowledge generation to robust commercialisation anchored on STI.

Udeh said commercialisation of research products was part of his vision upon appointment.

“At the ministry level, we remain committed to strengthening Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem by promoting demand-driven research, supporting technology incubation and transfer.

“We are committed to encouraging Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), and fostering homegrown solutions that addresses national priorities in agriculture, energy, health, infrastructure and industrial development.

“We firmly believe that sustainable development is best achieved when scientific research is linked to clear commercialisation pathways that translate knowledge into market-ready

innovations with measurable economic and social value,” Udeh said.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, said no country can achieve sustainable development without deliberately linking their research to a productive enterprise.

Represented by Mr Auwal Mohammed, Director for Economic Growth, Bagudu said: “A knowledge-based economy thrives where ideas are nurtured, innovations are commercialised, and research findings are effectively communicated to policymakers,

entrepreneurs and industry.”

He said the Federal Government recognised the indispensable role of STI in national development and was committed to strengthening partnerships with institutions as NAS.

The Founder, The Chair Centre Group, Mrs Ibukun Awosika, in her keynote, lamented that science departments and faculties of universities were totally detached from the market.

Awosika said that research by industries that were science-based should be linked to specific departments of universities.

“If we do not intentionally build structures that facilitate our ability to link up the market and university, we can never benefit from research, if not research papers that carry solutions will remain on the shelves,” she said.

According to her, Nigeria has the innovative minds, the interest and enough problems to turn into economic assets because science is about proffering solutions to real problems.

She further suggested that scientists should be saddled with the responsibility of discovering problems in the society and finding industries that were interested in solving those problems and collaborate with them.

Awosika also said that developing the right strategy was key to implementing goals.

President of NAS, Prof. Abubakar Sambo, said achieving growth and development, research must move beyond laboratories and academic institutions and find expressions in everyday living.

Sambo said Nigeria had the problem of inadequate mainstreaming of research results into meaningful economic growth and development in spite rich human capital, vast natural resources and youthful population.

“As scientists, policymakers and stakeholders, we must work together to create an environment where research outputs are merged with industrial needs, where innovations find

pathways to the market, and where knowledge generates wealth and employment.

“Our goal is to position Nigeria as a hub for scientific excellence and technological advancement in Africa,” he said. (NAN)

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