Tinubu Approves Committee to Boost Research, Innovation in Nigeria

Sanni Marvelous

In a landmark move to drive Nigeria’s transition into a knowledge-driven economy, President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of an Interministerial Committee on Research and Innovation (IMC-RI).

This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by the Director Media and Corporate Communications at the National Space Research and Development Agency, Dr. Felix Ale.

The committee is designed to unify the country’s fragmented research and innovation landscape and mobilize science-based solutions for national development.

The IMC-RI, which will be chaired by Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, will be coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, serving as its Secretariat.

According to the official communication from the Office of the Vice President, this represents “the highest-level political commitment to date toward aligning Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem with its economic transformation agenda.”

In addition to forming the committee, President Tinubu has also approved the convening of a Presidential Plenary on Innovation, a first-of-its-kind high-level forum in Nigeria.

The plenary will bring together senior government officials, academic leaders, top researchers, and private sector innovators to engage in forward-looking dialogue on developing a robust National System of Innovation (NSI).

Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji said, “this is a critical turning point for Nigeria. We are no longer treating science and innovation as afterthoughts. We are now placing them at the very center of our development strategy — where they belong.”

The IMC-RI will function as a cross-ministerial platform aimed at breaking down bureaucratic silos, leveraging collective technical expertise, and delivering impact in four mission-critical sectors: agriculture and climate resilience by advancing productivity through biotech, digital tools, and mechanization, manufacturing excellence by strengthening domestic industrial capacity to reduce imports, healthcare innovation by building local pharmaceutical and medtech industries, and natural resource optimization by driving innovation in the beneficiation of minerals and energy resources.

The committee is composed of fourteen key ministries, including those overseeing agriculture, industry, education, environment, finance, petroleum resources, trade and investment, digital economy, and solid minerals. This broad representation underscores a whole-of-government approach to research and innovation policy.

The committee’s first meeting is scheduled for April 17, 2025, at the State House in Abuja.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Innovation, Nasir Yammama, said, “By bringing our brightest minds together across ministries, we will unlock the kind of breakthroughs needed to secure food systems, boost local production, and accelerate green industrialization.”

The interministerial coordination model mirrors global best practices in countries that have successfully transitioned into innovation-led economies. Nigeria’s adoption of this strategy marks a new era of strategic foresight, research integration, and results-based public sector collaboration.