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President Bola Tinubu has moved to overhaul Nigeria’s fragmented research funding system, asking the Senate to approve legislation establishing a National Research and Development Fund to centralise resources currently spread across government agencies and institutions.
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The proposed fund is designed to make research financing more competitive, transparent and aligned with national priorities, while improving the use of limited resources available to research institutions and agencies.
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The Federal Government also wants research outcomes converted into commercially viable Nigerian technologies, with the proposed framework seeking stronger collaboration among academia, research agencies and the private sector to reduce dependence on imported technology.
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The bill proposes a new agency under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, with direct funding from the Nigerian Content Development Fund, and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.
September 29, (THEWILL) – President Bola Tinubu has moved to end the fragmentation of research funding in Nigeria, transmitting the National Research and Development Fund (Establishment) Bill, 2026 to the Senate for consideration and passage.
The President’s request was contained in a letter read on Tuesday at a plenary session presided over by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, following the lawmakers’ resumption from a nine-week recess.
The proposed legislation seeks to consolidate research and development funds currently spread across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) into a central funding mechanism for research agencies and academic institutions.
The President said the proposed fund is necessary because several research institutions and agencies currently operate with separate mandates and budgetary allocations, resulting in fragmented financing of research and development.
Tinubu said the new framework would consolidate research financing and ensure more efficient utilisation of available resources for the development of science, technology and innovation.
According to him, the National Research and Development Fund would provide a central and competitive mechanism through which research agencies and academic institutions could access funding.
“The Bill is prepared in a bid to consolidate research financing, ensure more efficient utilisation of resources, and to consolidate the fragmented Research and Development Funds across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) into the National Research and Development Fund to serve as a central mechanism through which research agencies and academic institutions can access funding”, the President stated.
He said the proposed fund would also promote strategic collaboration among research agencies, universities and the private sector, with funding decisions tied to national priorities.
“The establishment of the National Research and Development Fund will serve as a competitive central funding mechanism”, Tinubu added.
He added that the fund would “catalyse groundbreaking innovations, streamline resource allocation according to strategic national priorities, ensure strict transparency in funding decisions through evaluation criteria, and drive the commercialisation of home-grown technology to reduce foreign technological dependency.”
The President said the initiative was particularly important given the proliferation of research institutions and agencies operating within Nigeria’s research and development commercialisation landscape.
He noted that the agencies currently operate with individual mandates and separate budgetary allocations, a situation he said required a more coordinated approach to managing limited resources.
“The Bill therefore seeks to enable effective management of the limited financial resources available to these institutes and research agencies for the efficient development of Science, Technology and Innovation in Nigeria”, he said.
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Under the proposed legislation, the National Research and Development Fund would be established as an agency under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.
The President further proposed that the agency receive direct funding from the Nigerian Content Development Fund.
The new structure is expected to provide a central platform for financing research projects while promoting greater interaction between researchers, academic institutions and businesses capable of taking innovations to the market.
Tinubu also disclosed that the bill had undergone review by key government stakeholders, including the Ministries of Education, Innovation, Science and Technology, and Justice.
He said the review was undertaken to ensure that the proposed legislative framework was consistent with national education and scientific innovation objectives, while providing legal and institutional clarity.
“In consequence of the above, the National Research and Development Fund (Establishment) Bill, 2026 is hereby forwarded to the Senate for legislative action by the National Assembly”, the President noted.
He urged the Senate to consider and pass the bill expeditiously.
Following the presentation of the President’s letter, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.
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