Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has announced new steps to strengthen Nigeria’s science and technology sector after hosting a high-level meeting with leaders from the Nigeria LNG Prize for Science. He welcomed Prof. Bart Nnaji, former Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Power, and Chair of the Nigeria LNG Prize for Science; Sophia Horsfall, General Manager of NLNG; and their leadership team in Abuja this week to discuss the future of the annual prize and the wider innovation ecosystem.
During the meeting, Dr. Alausa confirmed that this year’s NLNG Prize for Science and Technology received no worthy applications, a situation he described as a major concern for national development and global competitiveness. He explained that the Federal Government is now looking beyond the prize itself to stimulate stronger activity in research, innovation, and intellectual property. He said the Ministry plans to put more focus on supporting scientists, researchers, and creators of intellectual property to strengthen Nigeria’s knowledge economy and boost high value sectors linked to education technology, digital transformation, and renewable energy.
The discussions were held in partnership with the Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Committee, inaugurated earlier this year to close the gap between academia and industry. According to Dr. Alausa, the RICC team briefed him on their progress and a new pilot programme designed to help researchers turn their work into viable products and services.
Dr. Alausa stated that deeper collaboration with the private sector is essential to achieving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Education. After the meeting, all parties agreed to set up a Technical Working Group made up of members of the RICC and NLNG Ltd. The group will work on strengthening the Science and Technology Prize, including a recommendation to split the award into two sub-categories to widen participation for Nigerian scientists and researchers.
Dr. Alausa expressed appreciation to Prof. Bart Nnaji, calling him a national treasure, and thanked the NLNG leadership team and the RICC chaired by Mr. Tayo Aduloju of NESG for their dedication to advancing scientific innovation.
