TETFund partners firm to boost innovative research in Nigeria

The management of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and Innova8 Hub, an innovation start-up organisation, have collaborated to boost innovative ideas among researchers and academics in Nigeria.

The Deputy General Manager of the Hub, Deji Ige, said the collaboration has yielded grants from the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) for 18 selected participants grouped into four teams through the TETFund Research for Impact (R4i) programme.

He added that as the technical partner, the collaboration would yield more fruit for human capital development, research and development advancement, home-grown solutions, and Economic Growth and National Development.

Mr Ige, who spoke during the inauguration of the funding on Monday at the Innova8 Hub centre, Abuja, noted that the 18 members selected from the Nigerian academia will use the grant to advance their innovations already developed at the Innova8 Hub during their R4i programme.

He said: “The beneficiaries, from various tertiary institutions across Nigeria, were selected after a critical assessment of their projects developed at R4i. This success story would not have been possible without TETFund, and the paradigm-shifting collaboration with Innov8 Hub, through which Nigerian academics are now translating their ideas into innovations, solutions, and prototypes worthy of advancement to the next level of Minimum Viable Product.”

He added that the grant will create more opportunities for lecturers to research solutions, innovation, and venture into creation, and impact, “as opposed to the previous pattern of researching just for the sake of publication and promotion.”

The inauguration, themed: “Driving African Innovation through Research and Development,” brought together stakeholders from the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and the Association from African Universities, Ghana.

TETFund’s ES speaks

In his speech, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, said the initiative was born out of the research for impact programme (R4i), which he said started about a year ago. He noted that for the project, the agency would ensure timely and effective reporting of the project and financial reporting when due.

The TETFund boss, represented by the agency’s Director of Research and Innovation, Salihu Bakari, assured the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) that the projects are being implemented in the expected way and manner.

“On behalf of the Executive Secretary, this project we are funding through the SCGI is one of the many we have been executing so far. Out of the 2024 intervention project for this year, we have set aside N24 billion naira for research and innovation ecosystems in Nigeria through TETFund. Between last year and this year, we have established about 30 centres in 30 institutions in Nigeria. We have started, and the bid has been open for an additional 18 this year,” he said.

Mr Bakari also commended the grantees’ initiatives and encouraged them to always think beyond the box and be creative.

He said, “We are investing money so that we can pick. There were more than enough ideas, not because we didn’t have funding for them but because we only picked the best prototypes submitted. We are investing more in research, development, and digital infrastructure.”

Beneficiaries’ projects

The 18 selected participants, grouped into four teams, are to carry out four different projects. The first project is titled: “Development of Technology to Mitigate the Effect of Drought in Desert Areas of Northern Nigeria.” It’s team members include Hussani Majiya from Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University, Niger State; Masud Eneji, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto; Sani Yahaya, Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Kano State, and Agim Chimnobi, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State.

The second project is titled: “Development of Automated Garri Frying Technology (Jollyfryer),” and has the team members as Masok Bitrus, Plateau State University, Bokkos; Mohammed Suleiman, Federal University Lokoja; Ibrahim Geidam, Yobe State University, Damaturu; Joseph Ukpata, University of Cross River State, Calabar, and Cecilia Oluwamodupe, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State.

For the third project, which is titled: “Creation of Biosensor Device for Water Purification Using Solar Energy,” the team members include Usman Waziri, Bauchi State University, Gadau; Victor Nwaugo, Abia State University, Uturu; Osita Chiaghanam Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, and Oluwaseun Babalola, Lagos State University.

The fourth project is titled: “AirVolt: An Affordable Access to Electricity with Vertical Axis Wind Turbines,” and has its team members as Abdullahi Kunya; Abdulsalam Galadima; Ramatu Sha’aba; James Samson and Rashidatu Abdulazeez, all five from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State.

Beneficiaries speak

In an interview, the representative of the Development of Automated Garri Frying Technology, Cecilia Oluwamodupe, said her team’s research focuses on food, specifically on the production of garri to improve productivity and advance the method of its production.

She said: “Garri is one of the most common foods in Nigeria, and from our findings, the method of production is not conducive for the producers, which has not given room for increased productivity and also exposes the producers to the danger of smoke from firewood and the food getting mixed up.

“So we designed a technology that can fry a minimum of 50kg of garri within a short time without smoke. This technology will do the sieving and frying. These grants for each team is $50,000 to sponsor the prototype to commercialisation level.”

Mr Nwogo, the representative of the Creation of Biosensor Device for Water Purification Using Solar Energy project, said the main objective of the project is to make portable water available in all homes.

“In the prototype, we produce the technology in different sizes so that people can easily afford it. It can also be used where there is no electricity in the rural areas so that water can be consumed at its best quality,” he said.

He added that after the implementation of the device, there will be a policy for commercialisation where employment will be created for people to produce and then sell so that people can have access to the equipment from different parts of the country.

Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI)

The Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) is a multi-funder initiative aimed at strengthening the capacities of 17 Science Granting Councils (SGCs) in sub-Saharan Africa. These councils contribute significantly towards strengthening national research and innovation ecosystems in their respective countries. This goal is mainly achieved through funding mechanisms that involve competitive calls for proposals targeting research and innovation projects.

TETFund is one of 17 members of the Sub-Saharan Africa Science Funding Councils Initiative (SGCI) which seeks to strengthen Science Financing Councils in supporting research and evidence-based policies that contribute to the socio-economic development of countries.