By our correspondent
It emerged yesterday that funding by the federal government for science, technology and innovation has risen to N200 billion in 2022, higher than the N100 billion funding released in 2020.
Earlier in 2016, N50 billion was spent to fund the sector while only about N25 billion was spent for the same purpose in 2015, according to the statistical information released by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Senator Adeleke Mamora in Abuja yesterday.
The Minister who spoke at a Press conference to mark the 10th edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Scorecard noted that the period 2015-2022 has witnessed an encouraging upward trend in government commitment to Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) development in Nigeria, especially in financing Research and Development programmes, projects and activities.
He cited some of the inspiring achievements in support of funding to include appreciable budgetary allocation to the Science and Tech Ministry and its agencies and all research institutions in Nigeria.
He also cited the Presidential declaration of 0.5% of GDP allocated to fund STI/Research development in Nigeria as progress, adding that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is currently funding the tertiary education and R&D Institutes in Nigeria.
Mamora also drew attention to the Development partners’ tremendous interest in funding research and innovation in Nigeria:
“The Horizon Europe for Nigeria, The new Africa initiative programme of the European Union is coming on stream very soon and this will provide massive funding support for research and innovation for Nigeria.”
The Science and Tech Minister said the Ministry has spearheaded inventions that have been acknowledged globally, including the anti sickle cell agent, the anti snake venom, the typhoid vaccine and the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developed by the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) for intelligence gathering and monitoring of threats.
He said the country’s future is full of optimism as long as it keeps faith and leverage the enormous power of science, technology, and innovation (STI), coupled with demand-driven research and development programmes, projects, and activities for advancing the frontiers of industrialization, nutrition and food security, energy and power self-sufficiency, and maintenance of national defense and internal security.
He said the fourth industrial revolution (4.IR) will register Nigeria’s presence and effective participation if we escalate and sustain current commitment and interest in research and innovation as principal push factors for technological advancement.
“We need courage, discipline and focus on fundamental principles of the culture of result-based management logical framework (RLMF) where all policy implementation efforts will produce outcomes with a positive impact on our collective mandate, vision, mission, and core values,” he said.
He said the ministry is taking STI and research to the sub-national levels of governance in Nigeria by establishing the technology and innovation centers for global competitiveness in the six (6) global competitiveness Hubs in Nigeria where all stakeholders in the STI ecosystem will remain in constant touch and relate appropriately to advance knowledge and modernize existing traditional technologies for enhanced productivity and poverty alleviation.
“We shall deploy scientific research and innovative thinking for the exploration, exploitation, and harnessing of abundant natural resources and human potential of Nigeria in creating our common wealth for the wellbeing and good of our people,” he said.
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