The federal government has launched an ambitious plan to transform Nigeria into Africa’s biotechnology powerhouse with the proposed Nigeria Genomic City.
The minister of education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, who disclosed this during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Thursday, warned that the country’s rapidly growing population could become a national liability unless backed by massive investments in science, research and innovation.
Alausa declared that the Tinubu administration is repositioning Nigeria from a resource-dependent economy to a knowledge-driven nation, with genomics, biotechnology and precision medicine at the centre of its long-term economic strategy.
He warned that Nigeria stands at a defining moment where failure to invest in scientific research could turn its greatest demographic strength into a devastating national burden.
“The biggest demographic dividend ever witnessed anywhere in the world could become a demographic calamity for us if we fail to act. We do not have a choice,” the minister said.
Our correspondent gathered that the government’s strategy is the establishment of the Nigeria Genomic City, a national scientific ecosystem expected to drive cutting-edge research, revolutionise healthcare, strengthen food security, commercialise biotechnology discoveries and create thousands of high-value jobs.
Alausa disclosed that the initiative was conceived more than 20 months ago and deliberately designed as a multi-ministerial and multi-agency national project, which should not be controlled by a single ministry.
According to him, the project belongs to Nigeria and must remain a national asset capable of serving future generations.
He explained that although the concept originated while he served as Minister of State for Health before his appointment as Minister of Education, the vision has always been to build a collaborative platform bringing together government institutions, academia, industry and development partners.
He warned that valuable African genomic data continues to generate enormous scientific and commercial value abroad under unequal international partnerships that offer little benefit to the continent.
To reverse the trend, Alausa said Nigeria would prioritise data sovereignty, strengthen intellectual property protection and build mutually beneficial global research collaborations capable of retaining greater value within the country.
The minister also announced that the federal government is finalising the establishment of a National Research and Innovation Development Fund expected to mobilise nearly $500 million annually to finance research, innovation and technological development across Nigeria.
He expressed optimism that the proposed legislation would soon receive approval from the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly before being transmitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent.
According to him, the sustainable funding mechanism will provide Nigerian researchers with the financial support needed to compete globally.
Alausa further announced that the University of Abuja has been selected to host the Nigeria Genomic City, while the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the National Board for Technology Incubation and other strategic institutions will provide the digital and technological backbone for the project.
The Federal Ministry of Education, he added, will coordinate implementation and mobilise partnerships across the public and private sectors.
Also speaking, Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, described the initiative as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to position Nigeria among the world’s leading centres of scientific innovation rather than remaining dependent on imported technologies.
She said Nigeria’s large population, expanding research institutions and growing pool of scientists provide a solid foundation for the success of the project.
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