The Federal Government has expressed strong expectations that a proposed ban on the export of raw materials will help reposition Nigeria’s economy, even as experts have warned that persistent weaknesses in the country’s science, technology and innovation (STI) ecosystem could undermine its success.
The position was outlined at a policy dialogue in Abuja themed ‘Re-shaping Nigeria’s Potential in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI)’, where the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Udeh, said Nigeria’s long dependence on exporting raw materials had stalled industrial development and limited the country’s capacity to create jobs and add value locally.
Speaking at the event organised by the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA), Udeh said one of the biggest challenges facing Nigeria’s progress in STI was the fragmentation of the ecosystem, with government agencies, private sector players and research institutions working largely in isolation.
According to him, this lack of coordination had weakened Nigeria’s ability to translate research outputs into manufacturing and commercial outcomes.
“One of the factors that has undermined our advancement is the fragmentation of the STI ecosystem. Different players act in silos, with little synergy or coordination, and this has reduced overall impact,” he said.
Udeh explained that under President Bola Tinubu, the government “is working to reposition STI as an interconnected ecosystem”, where institutions are deliberately linked to support innovation, production and commercialisation. He disclosed that a national STI roadmap was being developed to address structural gaps and align efforts across agencies.
As part of the reforms, the minister said the mandate of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) had been expanded. While the agency had previously focused mainly on processing patents for innovators, it now plays a broader role in connecting inventors with institutions that can help convert patented ideas into prototypes and market-ready products.
“Patents were being issued, but many ended up on shelves. We are now ensuring that innovators are supported beyond certification, through to prototyping and commercialisation,” he said.
A key element of the government’s industrial strategy is a bill recently passed by the National Assembly, which mandates that no raw material can be exported from Nigeria without at least 30 per cent value addition. The bill has been transmitted to the President for assent and includes a transition period.
Udeh said the legislation followed extensive consultations with exporters and industry stakeholders, adding that it would help expand industrial capacity and reposition Nigeria from being a supplier of raw materials to an exporter of value-added goods and services.
The Executive Director of CSEA, Dr Chukwuka Onyekwena, said Nigeria possessed the human capital and entrepreneurial energy needed to compete in a technology-driven global economy but had struggled to turn potential into productivity.
“Our youthful population and growing tech ecosystem provide a solid foundation. But without strategic investment, clear policy direction and sustained collaboration across government, academia and industry, this potential will remain largely untapped,” Onyekwena said.
Delivering the keynote address, the President of the African University of Science and Technology and former Director General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Prof. Azikiwe Peter Onwualu, described Nigeria’s development challenge as a paradox of abundance and underperformance.
He said weak infrastructure, limited research funding, fragile links between universities and industry and poor commercialisation pathways had prevented scientific breakthroughs from driving economic growth.
“Talent alone is not enough,” Onwualu warned across key sectors nationwide.
