The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Dr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has called for urgent and deliberate efforts to commercialise research and development (R&D) outputs in Nigeria, describing it as “critical to the nation’s economic transformation and industrial growth.”
Delivering a lecture at the 4th Engr. Joseph Oyeyani Makoju Memorial Lecture held at the Felele campus of the Federal University Lokoja on Thursday, the NASENI Chief Executive Officer said Nigeria must move beyond knowledge generation to value creation by translating research findings into marketable products and services.
Speaking on the theme of the lecture, “Commercialisation of Research and Development Products: Prospects and Challenges,” Dr Halilu noted that commercialisation of R&D remains a major missing link in Nigeria’s development trajectory, stressing that the process bridges the gap between scientific innovation and economic value.
According to him, “R&D commercialisation is not optional for Nigeria; it is essential for structural transformation and for transitioning from a resource-dependent economy to an innovation-driven one.”
The NASENI boss noted that effective commercialisation would drive economic diversification by reducing reliance on crude oil and promoting growth in sectors such as agro-processing, renewable energy, and manufacturing.
He added that it would also create jobs, enhance skills development, and improve Nigeria’s global competitiveness.
He further explained that innovation-driven enterprises have the capacity to generate employment across multiple skill levels while aligning academic training with industry needs.
On revenue generation, the NASENI boss said universities stand to benefit significantly through patents, spin-off companies, and partnerships, thereby reducing dependence on government funding and strengthening the country’s non-oil revenue base.
Despite the prospects, he identified several systemic challenges hindering R&D commercialisation in Nigeria to include weak innovation financing, high cost of doing business, policy inconsistency, and inadequate infrastructure.
He however, lamented the absence of a strong venture capital ecosystem and the lack of “patient capital” needed to support innovations from prototype to full-scale production, noting that many research outputs often die at early stages due to funding gaps.
The NASENI Chief Executive Officer also pointed to institutional deficiencies such as poor coordination among universities, research institutes, and industry, as well as limited access to testing and certification facilities.
Speaking on universities, he observed that academic institutions, despite being major producers of knowledge, remain weak in commercialising research due to structural and operational constraints.
He cited issues such as poor incentive systems that prioritise publications over innovation, weak technology transfer mechanisms, unclear intellectual property frameworks, and limited industry collaboration.
To address these challenges, he proposed reforms including restructuring academic incentives to reward innovation, strengthening technology transfer offices, fostering industry partnerships, and increasing funding for prototype development and scale-up.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of Federal University Lokoja, Professor Gbenga Solomon Ibileye, in his speech, called for a shift from theoretical research to practical, market-driven innovation.
Professor Ibileye declared that Nigerian universities must begin to translate knowledge into tangible development outcomes, stressing that universities in the country have for too long focused on producing knowledge without ensuring its application in industry, policy, and national development.
“We have been producers of knowledge who have not always been its translators. That must change, and it is changing,” he stated.
He revealed that the Federal University Lokoja has made research commercialisation a central pillar of its Vision Plan 2026–2031, with plans to establish an innovation and entrepreneurship hub, centres of excellence, and a restructured research system to ensure relevance and commercial viability.
Professor Ibileye also announced the university’s ambition to emerge as a national hub for Artificial Intelligence (AI), stressing that the global race in AI requires urgent and strategic participation by Nigerian institutions.
According to him, the university is laying the foundation to build a critical mass of AI researchers and postgraduate scholars working across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, environmental monitoring, and engineering.
He noted that achieving this vision would require significant investment in infrastructure, including high-performance computing systems, data centres, and advanced laboratories.
The Vice Chancellor called for partnerships with relevant institutions, particularly National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), to support the university’s drive toward innovation and technological advancement.
He commended the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Dri Khalil Suleiman Halilu, who delivered the memorial lecture, describing him as a leading advocate of indigenous technology development and industrial growth.