By Temidayo Igwebuike, Jamila Shuaibu
In a bid to strengthen staff capacity in attracting external funding for research and development, the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) through its training school hosted a 2-days workshop on “Sourcing for Grant opportunities and writing winning proposals” from the 22nd-23rd of July 2025 at the council’s headquarters in Abuja. The aim of the workshop is to equip selected staff with the essential skills required to write compelling grant proposals and secure funding from different grant sources.
The Dean of the training school, Dr. Olife I.C. while giving her opening remarks noted that there’s a recurrent challenge attributed to funding needed to execute projects, therefore Governments around the world are recognizing the importance of R&D investment and technological development in order to stimulate growth and job creation.
In this regard, securing additional grant is crucial for RMRDC to achieve its mandates.
“As an agency mandated to drive Nigeria’s industrial growth through the development and utilization of raw materials, securing additional funding is vital,” Dr. Olife stated.
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She emphasized that continuous research, local raw material development, process equipment design, and industrial establishment all depend significantly on sustained funding.
Dr. Olife pointed out that participants were carefully selected for the workshop, with only 30 staff members chosen for their potential and dedication. “You are privileged to be among the chosen,” she told participants. “Subject matter experts have been invited to mentor you, and I believe you will leave this programme better equipped to craft winning proposals.”
Speaking to the participants at the workshop, the DG Prof Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso highlighted the funding challenges the council faces and how that has affected the successful implementation of RMRDC 10-years road map and in that regard charged the participants to take the training seriously as they will be the force behind the road map.
“We need people like you to be the force behind the road map implementation because we require a lot of funding to implement our road map successfully. We need people who can source for grants, how to look for money for the kind of things we need to do,” Prof Ike-Muonso stated.
The workshop, designed to be highly interactive and hands-on, provided insights into identifying funding opportunities, understanding donor guidelines, and mastering the art of writing successful grant applications.
