NIGERIA MUST COMMERCIALISE RESEARCH TO CREATE JOBS, GROW ECONOMY – TETFUND BOSS

The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Sonny Echono, on Friday declared that Nigeria must urgently commercialise research findings to create jobs, boost local manufacturing and accelerate economic growth, unveiling plans to expand the 2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition to attract innovators, investors and industry players from across the country.

Speaking in Abuja while inaugurating the committee for the 2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition, Echono said Nigeria possesses enormous intellectual resources that must be transformed into products and services capable of addressing the country’s developmental challenges.

According to him, the Fund is repositioning the National Research Fair into Nigeria’s foremost innovation platform where researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs and investors can collaborate to commercialise home-grown technologies.

“Nigeria is richly endowed with intellectual assets. Our ability to harness these and deploy them to activate the various sectors of our economy, promote local manufacturing, create jobs, generate wealth across the value chains, then we will be on the right path to achieving greatness,” Echono said.

He explained that the decision to expand participation in the 2026 exhibition followed the success of the maiden edition held in November 2024, which showcased research breakthroughs from tertiary institutions and facilitated partnerships between researchers and industry players.

“Considering the large number of exhibitors that participated in the fair and the number of spin-offs that were mainstreamed into the Nigerian market, we are hopeful that it was also a stimulus for job creation,” he added.

Echono disclosed that the reconstituted committee now includes representatives of the organised private sector, innovation hubs, relevant ministries, the Nigerian military, the Association of Nigerian Inventors, community inventors and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and ensure wider participation.

He said the committee would identify, collate and showcase proven research and development outputs while creating opportunities for researchers to connect with angel investors, venture capitalists, intellectual property experts, technology licensing professionals and entrepreneurs.

“The main goal of the committee is to source, collate and showcase all proven research and development outputs, technologies and products, and create a conducive environment that encourages synergy and partnership among all relevant stakeholders, with a view to commercialising these innovations for the Nigerian market and beyond,” he said.

The TETFund boss also revealed that the committee would compile a comprehensive national database of research outputs from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and research institutes across the country, while selecting technologies to be exhibited later this year.

He said the 2026 exhibition would feature an international conference expected to attract researchers, innovation experts and investors from Africa and other parts of the world.

In a move aimed at widening participation, Echono announced that entries would no longer be limited to TETFund beneficiary institutions.

“We’ll be advertising for entries, and any Nigerian who has developed a product, a service or any kind of invention is expected to apply,” he said.

He also urged participants at the maiden edition to return with improved technologies and newly developed products to demonstrate the progress made since the inaugural fair.

“We hope this fair becomes a truly national event and the one-stop platform for inventors, innovators and researchers to showcase the products of their research. It should become Nigeria’s foremost innovation and technology exhibition,” he added.

Responding, Chairman of the committee, Engr. Umar Bindir, commended Echono for broadening the committee’s membership to include researchers, industry leaders, inventors and policymakers, describing the approach as an innovation in itself.

He pledged the committee’s commitment to delivering a successful exhibition that would bridge the gap between research and industry.

“We subscribe to every word that you have used in inaugurating this committee, and we will do everything possible to achieve this objective,” Bindir said.

Earlier, TETFund’s Director of Research and Development and Centres of Excellence, Suleiman Zwingina, said the Fund had supported numerous research projects that had produced promising technologies and prototypes requiring commercialisation.

He noted that the National Research Fair and Exhibition was conceived to provide a platform where research outputs could attract industry partners, investors and policymakers, enabling innovations to be transformed into goods and services capable of solving Nigeria’s development challenges.

The National Research Fair and Exhibition is one of TETFund’s flagship initiatives to bridge the gap between research and industry by promoting the commercialisation of innovations developed in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Its maiden edition, held in November 2024, showcased hundreds of research products and facilitated partnerships between researchers, manufacturers and investors.