The Federal Government has inaugurated a high-powered Interministerial Committee on Research and Innovation to spearhead strategic national efforts in achieving food and energy security, and significantly reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imports.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who inaugurated the committee at the State House, Abuja, charged members to work towards cutting Nigeria’s import bill by 50 percent. “We are here to breathe life not into this Committee, but into a bold mission: to build Nigeria into an innovation-driven, trillion-dollar economy within a decade,” he declared.
The initiative, part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader economic agenda, aims to consolidate intellectual and financial resources to “create the cockpit from which Nigeria’s innovation economy will be piloted.”
Highlighting the committee’s mandate, Shettima said it would coordinate research and innovation in five transformative sectors: Agriculture and Climate Resilience, Manufacturing Excellence, Healthcare Innovation, Natural Resource Optimisation, and Energy Security.
“In each of these areas, we will pursue missions, not just metrics. We will not be content with data for dashboards—we want deliverables that change lives.
“What will it take to reduce our food import bill by 50%? How do we triple local pharmaceutical production? Let us align policy, research, and investment to answer these questions and achieve measurable, meaningful outcomes,” the Vice President emphasized.
Shettima also revealed that the committee is a precursor to a Presidential Plenary on Innovation, approved by President Tinubu, which will be held annually and presided over by the President himself. “Innovation is a presidential area of priority. It is central to his vision for a new Nigeria,” he added.
Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, praised the initiative, stressing the need for synergy among government agencies to avoid duplication and ensure efficient resource use. “The keyword here is collaboration… we will save a lot of money for the government and reduce duplication,” he said.
The committee includes ministers and representatives from key sectors including Agriculture, Communications, Education, Budget and Planning, and Foreign Affairs.
