In a bold move to advance Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, the Federal Government has announced plans to establish a National Design and Development Agency aimed at supporting local inventors and scaling high-impact innovations.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, made this announcement during a working visit to Inov8 Hub in Abuja, where he pledged strong government backing for Nigerian-made technologies.
The proposed agency will be complemented by the creation of a National Research and Development (R&D) Fund, both of which are intended to transition Nigeria’s innovation efforts from subsidy-driven support to long-term sustainability. According to the Minister, “Innovation must move from subsidy to sustainability. We must ensure our local solutions get the funding, structure, and platform to thrive globally.”
During the tour of Inov8 Hub, Dr. Alausa was visibly impressed by a range of locally developed technologies including high-efficiency cassava dryers and prefabricated poultry pens, tools that could significantly improve agricultural productivity and reduce post-harvest losses.
A major highlight of the visit was the Poultry Empowerment Programme, a promising initiative designed to uplift smallholder farmers across Nigeria. The programme, which features locally fabricated poultry solutions, has the potential to transform poultry farming by making it more accessible, affordable, and profitable for rural entrepreneurs.
Dr. Alausa commended the efforts of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in promoting research and development across Nigerian universities and innovation hubs. He reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to unlocking the country’s vast human capital through investments in education, research, and innovation.
“With the right infrastructure and funding mechanisms in place, Nigeria can become a global hub for innovation that solves real-world problems,” the Minister added.
The visit signals a renewed focus by the Tinubu administration on nurturing homegrown innovation and commercializing research outputs that address local challenges.
