17
Apr
Apr
VP SHETTIMA INAUGURATES INTERMINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH, INNOVATION
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CapitalTimesNews / 1 week
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Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima has inaugurated the Interministerial Committee on Research and Innovation, with a charge to its members to ensure food security, energy security, and break the nation’s dependence on imports. The committee is part of ongoing efforts by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to pool intellectual and financial capital. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, in a statement, highlighted the significance of the committee. Nkwocha noted that Shettima emphasized the mission is to build Nigeria into a trillion-dollar economy within 10 years. “We are here to breathe life not into this Committee, but into a bold mission: to build Nigeria into an innovation-driven, trillion-dollar economy within a decade,” Shettima declared. Nkwocha further stated that Shettima observed innovation is the currency of every civilization. Shettima said the committee will coordinate action in five strategic sectors, including Agriculture and Climate Resilience, Manufacturing Excellence, Healthcare Innovation, Natural Resource Optimisation, and Energy Security. “In each of these areas, we will pursue missions, not just metrics. We will not be content with data for dashboards—we want deliverables that change lives,” Shettima added. Nkwocha also mentioned that Shettima disclosed the committee is a prelude to a Presidential Plenary on Innovation approved by President Tinubu. The Presidential Plenary on Innovation will be an annual high-level forum that brings together academia, research institutes, industry, civil society, and the Nigerian people to align national innovation priorities. Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Mr. Uche Nnaji, commended Shettima’s leadership, noting that collaboration is critical in prioritizing research and innovation. “The keyword here is collaboration. We have been spending a lot of money on our various ministries, duplicating our functions. I believe that with this collaboration and this committee here, we will save a lot of money for the government and reduce duplication,” Nnaji said. The committee’s targets include reducing Nigeria’s food import bill by 50 percent and tripling local pharmaceutical production. Shettima emphasized that the committee’s work will be mission-driven, focusing on deliverables that change lives. “What will it take to reduce our food import bill by 50%? How do we triple local pharmaceutical production? Let us align policy, research, and investment to answer these questions and achieve measurable, meaningful outcomes,” he added.
