FMIST: Private Sector Partnership Necessary for Commercialization of Research Outcomes – UDEH
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology and member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN said that seven herbal medicine products developed through research by the Nigerian Natural Medicine Research and Development Agency had recently received certification from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and were ready for commercialization. He said the products include treatments for malaria, sickle cell disease and diabetes.
Dr. Udeh made this known during an interaction with newsmen recently, while responding to questions on the 2027 presidential election, the zoning of the presidency and the performance of the Tinubu administration.
He added that the government had begun discussions with major pharmaceutical companies in Lagos and Ogun states on taking over the products, including through the acquisition of intellectual property rights.
The minister stated that private sector participation was necessary because government agencies could not independently shoulder the responsibility of commercializing research outcomes, noting that the objective was to ensure that research conducted in Nigerian institutions translated into products, businesses, revenue and economic opportunities.
Dr. defended President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term, saying the administration has placed Nigeria on the path to economic recovery and development.
On why the South-West should retain the presidency when other southern regions, particularly the South-East, had not produced a president since 1999, Udeh said political actors would naturally advance arguments that favour their candidates or parties.
“Anytime there’s an election in the states, at the national level, everybody that is interested would project an argument that will favor his candidacy, or her candidacy, or her party, or his party. Right? But at the end, it is Nigerians that would vote.”
On the APC’s argument for Tinubu’s re-election, Udeh said the president was still in his first term and had initiated reforms that were beginning to produce positive results.
“Well… Mr. President is in his first term, and has started reforms that are beginning to make a positive impact in the lives of Nigerians. It is not yet fully realized, but you can even tell that we are no longer as bad as we were in 2023, 2024.”
The Minister maintained that Nigeria’s economy was gradually growing, as according to him, the country had moved from about two percent growth in 2023 to about four percent currently.
He also said that increased revenue available to state and local governments was creating opportunities for sub-national governments to undertake development projects.
Responding to concerns that economic growth had not necessarily translated into improved living standards for ordinary Nigerians, the minister acknowledged that inflation and hardship remained but maintained that the country was now on a path towards development.
“Like I said, of course, we know that there’s inflation. We know that there’s still hardship. But we also know that Nigeria has been put on track for development, to come out from economic hardship.”
“Go to any of the states, you’ll see massive transformation. You’re from Enugu State. You see what the governor is doing in every sector, infrastructure, transportation—it is quickly turning into the conferencing capital of Africa. So opportunities have been made for governors and even local governments to transform the lives of their people.”
Beyond the 2027 election and economic reforms, Udeh disclosed that the Federal Government had identified about 2,500 research and innovation outcomes with commercial potential in the North-West under its Energize Commercialization Now initiative.
He said the initiative was designed to bridge the gap between research outcomes and the marketplace, with promising innovations identified in areas including renewable energy, agricultural technology and health technology.
According to the minister, the North-West exercise forms part of a broader regional approach to identifying research outcomes capable of being commercialized.
