ABUJA — The Federal Government has established the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Prize, a ₦365 million annual initiative aimed at recognising and rewarding outstanding academic research, innovation and intellectual excellence across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
The initiative was unveiled in Abuja by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, who said the prize is part of efforts to reposition Nigerian tertiary institutions as centres of research, innovation, enterprise and problem-solving.
According to Alausa, Nigeria has exceptional intellectual capacity across its universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education, but many groundbreaking research projects and innovations require greater recognition and support to achieve meaningful national and commercial impact.
The Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Prize will recognise exceptional undergraduate dissertations with commercial potential, outstanding Master’s theses and Doctoral research with industrial or developmental applications.
The awards will cover six thematic areas: Engineering and Technology; Medicine and Health Sciences; Arts and Social Sciences; Agriculture; Law; and Teaching Innovation.
The programme will also feature the Dr Stella Adadevoh Prize for Medicine and Medical Innovation, in honour of the late Nigerian physician, Dr Stella Adadevoh.
The Federal Government said the initiative is expected to encourage research commercialisation, preserve Nigeria’s intellectual output and strengthen the relationship between tertiary institutions, industry and national development.
The ministry said the annual prize is aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and is intended to provide stronger incentives for students, researchers and academics to develop solutions to Nigeria’s developmental challenges.
The establishment of the prize comes amid growing calls for increased investment in research, development and innovation within Nigeria’s higher education sector, particularly in areas capable of driving economic growth and addressing national challenges.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.