The vice president, Prof Yemi Osinbajo has said that there is an urgent need to refine processes for funding research and innovation in the country in order to build local capacity to compete favourably with scientifically advanced economies.
The vice president stated this yesterday during the meeting of the National Research and Innovation Council (NRIC) held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Osinbajo who was responding to a memo presented to the council on the need to improve funding of research and innovation in the country by the minister of science and technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said the proposal to set aside a percentage of the national budget for funding of research and innovation deserve support.
“The point that has to be made is that there is really an urgent need to improve funding for research and innovation in our country.
“Whether it is research in agriculture, education or environment, we have to adopt steps and measures on how to improve funding in these areas. It is really the whole idea of setting targets on how to achieve objectives set for research and innovation,” he said.
He directed that plans to refine the processes and procedures for investing more in research and innovation be expedited in order to develop more local technology to address emerging challenges.
Onu had earlier presented a memo to the council for the improved funding of research and innovation, specifically by setting aside one percent of the national budget for research purposes in public institutions.
The meeting, which is the first for the year 2020 also had in attendance the ministers of environment, Mr. Mohammed Mahmoud; water resources, minister Suleiman Adamu; information and culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed; sports and youth development, Mr. Sunday Dare; women affairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen; aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika; labour and employment, Dr. Chris Ngige; health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; and communications and digital economy, Mr. Ali Pantami.
Others were the ministers of state for budget and national planning, Mr. Clement Agba; science and technology, Mr. Mohammed Abdullahi; and education, Mr. Emeka Nwajiuba.
