Lagos Harps on Research to Drive Development

Prof. Olufemi Bamiro, chairman, Lagos Research and Development Council, said that the establishment of the council is a demonstration of the resolve of the State to provide support for basic and applied research, and most importantly commercialization, which in itself, is a key mission of the Lagos Innovation project (INNOVATELAGOS).

He stated this at the just concluded sensitization workshop for stakeholders in the area of Research and Development in Lagos.

The workshop, organised by the Lagos Research and Development Council brought together stakeholders from government, academia, research and development agency, non government organizations (NGO) and the organized private sector.

He said: “of equal interest to the council is support for institutions of higher learning in the performance of their key functions of teaching, research and community service geared towards the production of human capital to drive the State’s economy”.
Bamiro added that through a globally tested and trusted strategic collaborative model referred to as Triple Helix Model, comprising the government, academia, research and development agency, non government organizations (NGO) and the organized private sector, the focus of the Council is to become an instrument for the transformation of Lagos State into an innovative and knowledge-driven economy.

Bamiro said, like the South African government did, the Lagos State government is bringing about strategic collaboration amongst small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), academia, and research agencies to foster industrialization.

According to Fatai Olukoga special sdviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Education, who represented  Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), governor of Lagos “Nigeria’s future economic growth will increasingly have to come from innovation in products services and business models, This is why innovation has been placed at the heart of the Lagos Project for growth and jobs.

Also speaking at the workshop, Mrs. Florence Oguntuase, Lagos State commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pension, emphasized that the main objective of the Lagos State government in setting up the council is to catalyze the transition of great ideas to innovations, products and services that would instantly positively impact the lives of Lagosians.

The Council Chairman said following the successful hosting of this workshop, the council will soon commence the disbursement of funds to tertiary institutions to support Research and Development (R&D) in the areas of Arts and Humanities, Medicine, Pharmacy, Engineering, Transportation, Science, Technology, Environmental Science and Climate Change, Housing, Agriculture and Agro-Allied Projects.

The fund will provide higher education institutions with a platform to transform their ideas into commercial products and services for Lagos and also facilitate collaborative partnerships with government, private sector, domestic and international research institutions.

Other dignitaries present at the interactive workshop included the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Rahaman Bello, Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Prof. John Oladapo Obafunwa, Vice Chancellor, Pan Atlantic University, Professor Juan Elegido, Director, National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), Mrs. Eugenia Abu, Council Secretary, Ms. Mojisola Rhodes.

Also in attendance were representatives of research agencies, Student Union leaders of all Lagos Tertiary Institutions, PZ Cussons, Stanbic IBTC, Nokia, Guaranty Trust Bank, Julius Berger, Neimeth Pharmaceuticals, IBM, First Bank, Fidson Healthcare and many others.