REPS PROPOSE NATIONAL FUND TO TURN NIGERIAN RESEARCH INTO JOBS AND PRODUCTS

The House of Representatives is considering legislation to establish a National Research and Innovation Development Fund to improve research financing and help Nigerian inventions reach the market.

The bill also proposes a National Council on Research and Innovation to coordinate research activities and strengthen links between scientists, investors and industry.

Speaking at a public hearing in Abuja on Thursday, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas said Nigeria needed to reduce its dependence on imported technologies by supporting locally developed solutions.

Represented by Deputy House Leader Abubakar Halims, Abbas said promising discoveries often remained in laboratories because researchers lacked access to funding and commercial support.

“The challenge, therefore, is not simply to produce more research, but to build an ecosystem that connects research to funding, innovation to investment, and discoveries to industry,” he said.

House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Zakariya Tijjani Zannah said the proposed framework would help bridge the gap between scientific discoveries and practical applications.

The bill proposes funding through government allocations, grants, commercialisation income and a 20 per cent contribution from the Nigerian Content Development Fund.

It also includes a proposed 2.5 per cent limit on administrative spending, competitive peer-reviewed grants and provisions governing intellectual property.

Zannah urged stakeholders to examine whether the funding arrangements were legally sound and sustainable, and whether accountability measures adequately protected public resources without discouraging genuine research.

Representatives from government, universities, research institutions and the private sector attended the hearing.

The bill remains under legislative consideration.