News

TETFund Awards $250,000 Grants To 18 Lecturers To Turn Prototypes Into Commercially Viable Products

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2024

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)’s Research for Impact Initiative (R4I) has awarded 18 lecturers from Nigerian higher education institutions a $250,000 grant from the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) to develop four prototype projects into commercially viable products.

The 18 lecturers, who were divided into four groups, were assisted at Innov8, an innovation hub in Abuja, to develop four prototypes: Development of Technology to Mitigate the Effect of Drought in Desert Areas of Northern Nigeria.

Automated Garri Frying Technology (Jollyfryer) Development, Biosensor Device for Water Purification Using Solar Energy, AirVolt: An Affordable Access to Electricity with Vertical Axis Wind Turbines.

The SGCI is a multi-year initiative aimed at strengthening the capacities of 17 Science Granting Councils (SGCs) in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the councils making significant contributions to strengthening national research and innovation ecosystems in their respective councils.

I welcome the management of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, representatives of the Science Granting Council Initiative, representatives of the Association of African Universities, academics, research and development partners, and esteemed guests to Innov8 Hub.

Speaking at the SGCI Launch Event in Abuja on Monday, Mr Deji Ige, Deputy General Manager, Innov8 Hub, stated that today’s event marks the beginning of new possibilities. “It exemplifies the power of foresight, commitment, and collaboration. On TETFUND’s mandate, a journey began about three years ago with the Research for Impact (R4i) initiative, later renamed the TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research (TETFAIR).

These two initiatives have caused a significant paradigm shift in Nigerian academia, with lecturers now researching for solutions, innovation, venture creation, and impact, as opposed to the previous pattern of researching solely for publication and promotion.

“As TETFUND’s technical partner and collaborator on the implementation of R4i and TETFAIR, Innov8 Hub is delighted and grateful for TETFUND’s leadership and commitment to these collaborative initiatives, which are now yielding fruits of Human Capital Development, R&D Advancement, Home-Grown Solutions, Economic Growth, and National Development. One of these fruits is the reason we are here today.

It may interest you to know that 18 participants (divided into four teams) in the TETFund Research for Impact- R4i programme have been chosen as recipients of an R&D grant from the Science Granting Council Initiative.

“These 18 Nigerian academics will use the grant to advance the innovations they developed at Innov8 hub during their R4i programme. Beneficiaries from various tertiary institutions across Nigeria were chosen following a critical evaluation of their R4i projects.

This success story would not have been possible without TETFund and the paradigm-shifting collaboration with Innov8 Hub, which has enabled Nigerian academics to transform their ideas into innovations, solutions, and prototypes worthy of advancement to the next level of Minimum Viable Product.”

Ige went on to say, “By championing the current positive change in the landscape and output of R&D efforts in Nigeria, it is evident that TETFund is more than a government agency, but a light in the tunnel of academia, a lamp unto Nigerians’ path, and a champion of national development; while Innov8 Hub is the oil that fuels the lamp.”

Dr. Saliba Bakare, TETFund’s director of research and development, stated that, while Nigeria joined the SGCI in 2020, five years after the program’s inception, the impact of this collaboration is expected to be transformative.

According to Bakare, the $250,000 grant will benefit four Nigerian research teams, each working on projects with the potential to effect significant change.

He mentioned that these initiatives include advances in the processing of garri, a staple food, as well as pioneering efforts in renewable energy, among others.

He stated that the funding aims to bridge the gap between research and practical application, promoting commercially viable innovations.

He explained: “The essence is to assist them in transforming their research findings into commercializable goods and services in this country.”

He went on to say that a key aspect of the grant is that it assists research teams in developing their innovations into market-ready prototypes.

This, he explained, entails not only technical development but also pitching these products to industries, ensuring that the research results in tangible economic benefits.

“Four teams will use this money to develop their research into prototypes and pitch them to industries so that the product resulting from the research can be taken off,” he said.

News

Ecoparl: Speaker Ibrahima Reaffirms Parliament’s Dedication to Regional Unity

Published

4 hours ago

September 18, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

The Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Rt. Honourable Memounatou Ibrahima, restated that the parliament remains committed to ensuring the unity and integration of the people within the subregion.

According to Speaker Ibrahima, the Parliament will continue to use parliamentary diplomacy to engage countries that are considering leaving the bloc due to political challenges, such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, as a result of military coups they experienced.

The Speaker stated this when she led a delegation of the ECOWAS Parliament on a working visit to the President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday in Abuja.

She highlighted that while countries may break formal cooperation, the people of the region remain interconnected, adding that the Parliament, as representatives of these people, will work to maintain the unity.

Ibrahima expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Senate for supporting ECOWAS by providing necessary facilities for their plenary sessions, even as she discussed the socio-political challenges facing the region, as well as how parliamentarians can contribute more to address these issues.

She said: “We strengthen parliamentary diplomacy, because we know that the countries might break cooperation but we cannot separate the population. The population always live together and we as representatives of the people, we are doing our best so that this living together will continue to be reality and even made better.

“We came to thank him for all the facilities that the senate has been providing to the ECOWAS Parliament to facilitate the holding of our sessions here in Abuja. We also discussed on the socio-political situation in the community. We also discussed on the ways parliamentarians can make more contributions on the various issues and the challenges that we are experiencing in ECOWAS”.

The President of the Senate,

Senator Akpabio, who was represented by his Deputy, Senator Barau Jubril, commended Ibrahima’s leadership and her efforts in using parliamentary diplomacy to foster cooperation within ECOWAS, especially in light of the challenges posed by countries considering an exit from the bloc.

He noted that since Speaker Meimounatou assumed office, she has deployed enormous parliamentary diplomacy to bear not only on the level of cooperation with institutions in the region but also on those that have expressed the wish to quit the regional block.

Naijablitznews.com reports that Senator Jubril is the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.

He said: “Since she was elected the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, she has been up and doing in terms of giving leadership to the parliament. It is in that regard that she is here trying to chart a better course for the parliament to make sure that she brings parliamentary diplomacy to bear in terms of our cooperation not only with those who are within the community as we speak but also even those who are attempting to leave the community.

“It is in that respect that she is here, and what she is doing is commendable. She has come to strengthen her idea and initiative of making the parliament stronger and more effective”.

News

Air Force Begins Moving Electoral Materials For Edo Guber Election

Published

7 hours ago

September 18, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has began airlifting the sensitive election materials for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to Benin, Edo State, ahead of the upcoming governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024.

This was disclosed on Wednesday by the Deputy Director, Public Relations and Information, Group Captain Kabiru Ali.

The operation is part of the NAF’s efforts to ensure the timely and secure delivery of materials necessary for a smooth electoral process.

This development reinforces the collaboration between NAF and INEC to facilitate logistics and ensure a peaceful election in Edo State.

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, had previously reiterated NAF’s commitment to providing airlift support for the swift movement of electoral materials during a meeting with INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

This airlift operation is a crucial aspect of NAF’s constitutional responsibility to provide Military Aid to Civil Authority, underscoring the force’s dedication to supporting democratic processes in Nigeria. With the election just days away, the NAF’s timely intervention will help ensure the successful conduct of the governorship elections in Edo State.

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State had earlier accused the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, of working with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to hunt the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members and supporters in the state and force them into hiding ahead of September 21 governorship election.

Obaseki, who made the allegation when a delegation led by the former Head of State, Abdusalam Abubakar, met with him to get the governor and his party to sign peace accord, said that the IGP had made nonsense of his (Obaseki’s) role as the chief security officer of the state.

The governor had said that the police chief obtained a warrant to arrest 60 members and supporters of PDP in Edo and that the IGP sent an armed “gang” of policemen who invaded the state, attacked PDP members, shot at a local government chairman and arrested 10 persons who are currently being detained in Abuja without charges.

Asked by the former head of state if his party would sign the peace accord, Obaseki said, “The person who is supposed to enforce the peace accord is now an active participant in creating a destructive environment.

“We are now in a situation where from the Inspector General’s office, there are armed gang policemen who came into Edo State, invaded, arrested and took away PDP members.

News

“Dancing gives me abundant joy and peace of mind”-Gov Adeleke

Published

7 hours ago

September 18, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has given reasons why he loves dancing.

The ‘Dancing Governor’, as he is fondly called, revealed this on Wednesday while responding to a tweet on X.

An X user, @Iwogoke, while praising the governor, stated that Adeleke has been busy fulfilling his electoral promises to the people of Osun State, while his political opponents believe he is only good at dancing.

Iwogoke tweeted, “I’m not flattering you, Your Excellency, your opponents think you can only dance but while they are busy shouting and calling you ‘Dancing Governor’, you are busy fulfilling your electoral promises to the people.”

Responding to the tweet via his verified X account, Adeleke explained that he loves dancing because it brings him joy.

Speaking further on his love for dancing, Adeleke highlighted that while dancing brings him immense happiness, his greater fulfilment comes from delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Osun.

Outlining his administration’s efforts to enhance the state’s infrastructure, he noted that primary health centre rehabilitation is underway in at least 200 out of the 332 wards across Osun State, adding that road construction projects are also progressing in every local government area.

He wrote, “Dancing gives me joy, but delivering on my electoral promises and providing the dividends of democracy to the good people of Osun gives me even greater joy. Rehabilitation of primary health centers is ongoing in at least 200 out of 332 wards, and road construction is progressing in every Local Government!”