The Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Adeolu Akande, has emphasized the Commission’s dedication to allocating more funds to research and prototypes resulting from grants awarded to academia. This commitment follows the recent disclosure that the Commission has already invested over N500 million in funding research projects across Nigerian universities.
Speaking at a roundtable conference held at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, Prof. Akande addressed a gathering of vice chancellors and professors from universities in the southern regions of the country. He expressed the Commission’s recognition of the importance of collaboration with stakeholders to foster innovation and cultivate indigenous technological capabilities, thereby strengthening the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ecosystem.
“We want to use this opportunity to assure you that the Commission will continue to provide support to the educational sector in the interest of national development. We will also continue to encourage research and innovation in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions,” assured Prof. Akande. He further explained that the purpose of the roundtable was to engage in dialogue with academia, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to explore ways of transforming research efforts and prototypes into commercially viable products that address real-life challenges.
“In light of this, the Commission will consistently allocate the necessary resources to research, development, and innovations required for the industry to continue contributing to the socio-economic development of the country,” stated Prof. Akande.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, represented by the Director of Legal and Regulatory Services, Josphine Amuwa, acknowledged that academia serves as a vital catalyst for innovation across all fields of human endeavor. He emphasized that under his leadership, the Commission is committed not only to providing grants to academia but also supporting the commercialization of developed prototypes to deepen indigenous technological capabilities, thereby contributing to the overall advancement of the industry.
Ubale Maska, the NCC Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, represented by Bako Wakil, the Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, disclosed that the Commission has already awarded a total of 49 telecom-based research grants to academia, out of which 10 prototypes have been successfully developed.
“We are optimistic that these sessions will result in the establishment of a common framework that will facilitate the commercialization of existing prototypes and future research outcomes for the benefit of the economy and the industry,” Maska affirmed.
Following a similar roundtable event in Kano for the northern region, this conference, organized by the Research Prototypes and Development (R&D) Department of the Commission, aimed to bring together resource persons, industry experts with business acumen, academia, relevant government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), entrepreneurs, and accomplished individuals who have successfully commercialized their inventions. The objective was to collectively brainstorm and chart a path forward for the commercialization of research outputs. (ncc.gov.ng)
