By Adaora Adibe, Nafisat Abdulrahman
Stakeholders in research, academia, government, and the private sector have emphasized the need for stronger collaboration, legal protection, and reduced reliance on imports to ensure that Nigeria’s raw materials and innovations are effectively harnessed for national development. These were the discussions during the recent Raw Materials 360 virtual Zoom meeting on “Raw Materials Innovation: From Lab to Market,”.
The meeting where participants called for structured linkages between researchers, industries, and policymakers to drive commercialization and protect local inventions was moderated by the Director, Directorate of Corporate Affairs (DCA), Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) Mr. Chukwuma Ngaha.
Present at the virtual meeting was the Registrar Patent and Design Office, Commercial Law Department, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Bar. Jane Igwe who brought a legal perspective to the discussion.
She spoke at length about the importance of a legal framework for commercialization, noting that Nigeria is not lacking in ideas and creativity “however the transition from ideas to impact which is what we are calling from the lab to the market place is where we face existent and significant challenges”.
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She urged researchers to actively safeguard their rights to their inventions through tools like trademarks, industrial designs, copyrights and patents which she explained during a brief presentation. According to her, some researchers showcase their innovations for educational purposes, during seminars and exhibitions but then choose to hide them out of fear of theft. However, if someone else registers a similar invention first, they risk losing their rights to it as the law recognizes the statutory inventor which is the inventor that registers.
She highlighted the weak linkages between research institutes and industries leading to researches ending up on shelves and called for “the urgent need to create structured pathways for collaboration between these sectors which include researchers, entrepreneurs, the private sector and even the government as well”, she stated.
A researcher and lecturer at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) Engr (Dr) Nneoma Aneke on her part agreed that researchers are not collaborating enough for the industry, she said “we need to scale up our knowledge, scale up our actions to ensure that raw materials are being produced and processed in our country and we are not just sending out our raw materials out there in a very raw state”.
Dr. Aneke further highlighted a disconnect among researchers, industry players, and even consumers, stressing the need for Nigerians to reduce their dependence on imports. She noted that the ease of importing goods has made people too relaxed, with many preferring imported products over locally made ones.
…. while the government tries to create an enabling environment for us to achieve this feat, and of-course researchers are being true to their research and industries collaborating with researchers are bringing in their A game while trying to be competitive as well producing goods that are competing with those being imported, we need patience as a people to achieve this great feat” she added.
Meanwhile, the MD/CEO of Spectra Therapy Limited, Chief Duro Kuteyi, who represented the private sector in the discussion, expressed concern over the challenges faced by SMEs in competing with multinationals and foreign investors. He pointed out that these larger entities often capitalize on products already developed by local SMEs and called for stronger measures to protect local businesses and their innovations.
.“let foreign investors come in and at a point where it is very difficult for the SMEs to reach like iron and steel, petroleum and leave the area of agro processing for the SMEs to grow. SMEs can reach any height because if they have the money at low interest rates, they will be able to produce and make progress and grow” he said.
The meeting was attended by stakeholders and staff of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) from the headquarters and state coordinating offices across Nigeria, featuring an interactive session where participants engaged with the expert discussants through questions and answers.
