The minister asked members of the academic community to see research beyond promotion and career advancement.
Nigeria's Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, a professor, has assured that President Bola Tinubu-led federal government will prioritise funding for industry-based research in Nigeria's tertiary institutions.
Speaking at a meeting with the heads of parastatals and agencies under the education ministry at his office on Monday, Mr Mamman said industry-based research would help accelerate the nation's development.
"The Federal Government is determined to support research linked to the industry so as to synchronise research and the industrial sector in order to accelerate national development," a statement by the ministry's spokesperson, Ben Goong, quoted him as saying.
The minister asked members of the academic community to see research beyond promotion and career advancement.
According to him, overall national development must take priority over any other considerations.
He, therefore, promised to ensure that industry-based research is encouraged to accelerate national development.
On his part, Minister of State for Education Yusuf Sununu expressed the government's determination to support the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) in its efforts to promote industry-based research.
He said, "The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will do everything humanly possible to clear any obstacle in the way of research funding."
Training for 65,000 staff
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Earlier in his briefing, Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Sunny Echono, told the Ministers that the fund has in the last two years sponsored over 65,000 staff in tertiary institutions to national and international conferences, workshops and training programmes.
Mr Echono also briefed the ministers on critical investments being made by the Fund on high-impact projects, disaster recovery and research grants.
He said investments in research in varsities have already led to the production and public presentations of over 60 books in 2022, adding that more books will be published at designated publishing houses across the six geopolitical zones in the coming years.
Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.
