By the Honorable Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji | March 28, 2025 | Abuja, Nigeria.
In a bold step toward repositioning Nigeria as a knowledge-driven economy, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the establishment of an Inter-ministerial Committee on Research and Innovation (IMC-RI) — a strategic governance mechanism designed to unify Nigeria’s fragmented research and innovation landscape and mobilize science-based solutions for national development.
The newly established Committee will be chaired by Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima and coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation which will serve as its Secretariat. This move represents the highest-level political commitment to date toward aligning Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem with its economic transformation agenda.
In a further demonstration of strategic intent, President Tinubu also approved the convening of a Presidential Plenary on Innovation—the first of its kind in Nigeria’s history. This high-level forum will bring together senior government officials, academic leaders, top researchers, and private sector innovators to engage in forward looking dialogue on the development of a robust National System of Innovation (NSI). The plenary will be formally addressed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, underscoring the administration’s top-level commitment to science, technology, and innovation as the engine of national renewal.
According to the official communication from the Office of the Vice President, the IMC-RI will serve as a cross-ministerial platform to break down silos, leverage collective technical expertise, and deliver impact in four mission-critical sectors:
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- Agriculture and Climate Resilience: Advancing productivity through biotech, digital tools, and mechanization.
- Manufacturing Excellence: Strengthening domestic industrial capacity to reduce imports.
- Healthcare Innovation: Building local pharmaceutical and medtech industries.
- Natural Resource Optimization: Driving innovation in the beneficiation of minerals and energy resources.
The Committee includes fourteen key ministries spanning agriculture, industry, education, environment, finance, petroleum resources, trade and investment, digital economy, solid minerals, and more —representing a whole-of-government approach to research and innovation policy.
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 hold its inaugural meeting on April 17, 2025, at the State House in Abuja. This inter-ministerial coordination model mirrors global best practices in countries that have successfully transitioned into innovation-led economies.
Nigeria’s decision to adopt such a model signals a new era of strategic foresight, research integration, and results-based public sector collaboration.
“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,” said Nasir Yammama, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Innovation.
