President Bola Tinubu has directed cabinet members to ensure that research outcomes, guided them in policy formulation and execution across key sectors of the economy.
Tinubu said this when the President of the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), and the Fellows of the Academy invested him as their Grand Patron in Abuja on Thursday.
He said the administration would leverage on the capacity of Nigerians to innovate and create solutions in the public and private sectors, especially in farming, manufacturing, information technology and academia.
“The pathway to unlocking the potential of our national contribution to the global economy of tomorrow lies in what we do today.
“I am fully committed to the comprehensive integration of research, and the outcomes of research with the process of policy formulation and implementation in all fields of national endeavour,” he said.
The President added that the pace of change around the world required more reliance on research for solutions and actionable data, especially in health and education.
Tinubu, therefore, urged relevant ministries to ensure that science research guided the process of development in relevant areas of advantage.
“We must not fail to utilise research outcomes in the process of enriching our policies,” the President said.
In her remarks, the President of the NAS, Prof. Ekanem Braide, called for the establishment of a national research fund as the country moved toward a knowledge-driven economy.
Braide said the fund would resolve challenges toward quickening national progress through the inputs of all Nigerians including the business community, the academia, and the public sector.
She advised that the nation’s universities, polytechnics and colleges of education be upscaled in science research infrastructure and funding