The Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo M. Ike-Muonso, has called for stronger partnerships between research institutions, polytechnics and the private sector to convert research findings into commercial products, create jobs and stimulate industrial growth.
Ike-Muonso said Nigeria could reduce its reliance on imported goods, strengthen local manufacturing and accelerate economic development by linking research, technical education, technology transfer and private investment.
He made the call on Wednesday in Abuja during a strategic meeting convened by RMRDC with officials of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations (WAITRO), representatives of tertiary institutions and members of the organised private sector.
According to him, Nigeria’s abundant natural resources, skilled workforce, entrepreneurial talent and research institutions provide a strong foundation for industrial development, but the country must establish effective mechanisms to turn these assets into tangible economic gains.
“For too long, the gap between research and industrial application has limited the economic benefits that Nigeria derives from its investments in research and development,” he said.
The RMRDC chief executive stressed that research should extend beyond academic publications to produce commercially viable goods, industrial processes and technologies capable of addressing real-world challenges.
He noted that closer collaboration between universities, polytechnics, research organisations and businesses would enable industries to communicate their technological needs while allowing researchers to develop practical solutions for commercialisation.
Ike-Muonso described the engagement with WAITRO as an opportunity to expand international cooperation, build sustainable institutional relationships and improve Nigeria’s capacity to develop, adapt and deploy technologies for industrial advancement.
He said RMRDC was exploring opportunities through its membership of the international organisation to help Nigerian institutions access technical expertise, undertake joint research, develop innovative products and improve industrial processes.
He added that the council was particularly interested in partnerships that would deliver measurable economic benefits to Nigerian businesses and the country at large.
The RMRDC director-general also highlighted the council’s collaboration with Chinese innovation institutions, including the Shanghai Yangtze Delta Innovation Institute, Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute and Anhui Yangtze Delta Innovation Institute, under the National Innovation Center par Excellence.
He explained that a quadripartite memorandum of understanding with the institutions provides a framework for cooperation in research and development, technology transfer, innovation, capacity building and the commercialisation of research findings.
According to him, the partnership could help Nigerian institutions adapt foreign technologies to local industrial needs, improve the processing of indigenous raw materials and produce goods capable of competing in domestic and international markets.
However, he cautioned that technology transfer should go beyond importing equipment and finished technologies, stressing the need to develop local expertise and ensure that Nigerians can maintain, adapt and improve the technologies they acquire.
“Our aspiration is not simply to access technology, but to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to understand, adapt, develop and apply technology for its own industrial advancement,” he said.
Ike-Muonso urged tertiary institutions and private-sector operators to use the engagement to identify shared interests and develop practical projects that would boost domestic production.
He encouraged universities and polytechnics to regard industries as strategic partners in research and innovation, while urging businesses to tap the technical expertise available in academic and research institutions.
He said such cooperation could support joint research, industrial attachments, technology incubation, student entrepreneurship, product development and the commercialisation of research outputs.
The organised private sector, he added, had a crucial role in attracting investment, identifying industrial challenges and creating markets for innovations developed by researchers.
He identified the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture and the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises as important partners in connecting businesses with research institutions.
He also pointed to the potential roles of the Bank of Industry, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority and National Automotive Design and Development Council in promoting industrial financing, technology-driven manufacturing, export-oriented production and local content development.
The RMRDC boss said a coordinated approach involving research institutions, investors, infrastructure providers and policymakers was necessary to accelerate Nigeria’s industrial growth.
Speaking at the meeting, the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, warned that Nigeria’s industrialisation drive could falter without adequate attention to technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
Bugaje said polytechnics were established to produce technicians, technologists, artisans and other skilled professionals required to support manufacturing, infrastructure development and technological innovation.
He explained that while universities contribute to theoretical research and conceptual development, polytechnics are expected to equip students with the practical skills needed to translate knowledge into industrial production.
“Any nation that neglects TVET, be sure her industrialisation is doomed to fail,” he said.
The NBTE executive secretary maintained that Nigeria’s quest for self-reliance, import substitution and sustainable industrial growth depended on stronger links between technical institutions and industry.
He identified practical skills acquisition, technology adaptation, entrepreneurship and curricula aligned with employers’ needs as critical to making polytechnic education more responsive to the economy.
According to him, polytechnics could promote local innovation by producing agro-allied machinery, food-processing equipment and renewable energy prototypes from locally sourced materials.
He added that technical education should prepare graduates not only for paid employment but also for entrepreneurship and the establishment of businesses capable of generating jobs and strengthening small and medium-scale enterprises.
Bugaje cited China’s industrial development as an example of how technical and vocational education could be integrated with national industrial policies to drive economic transformation.
He said the country’s model demonstrated the benefits of linking technical colleges with manufacturing facilities and industrial zones, allowing students to combine classroom instruction with practical experience on production lines.
Such an approach, he argued, could help bridge the gap between the skills graduates acquire and those employers require.
The NBTE chief called for stronger partnerships between polytechnics and manufacturers to review curricula, upgrade laboratories and workshops, and expand opportunities for industrial training.
He proposed that industrial training placements should be developed into structured, long-term apprenticeship programmes through which students could gain practical experience on actual production lines while continuing their studies.
He also advocated work-based learning arrangements that would allow industry workers to earn National Diploma and Higher National Diploma qualifications through systems that recognise practical experience and assess workplace competencies.
Bugaje further urged the transformation of polytechnic workshops into production and research hubs serving nearby industrial clusters and commercial markets.
He cited the One Polytechnic, One Product initiative as a model for encouraging institutions to develop marketable products, promote local manufacturing and create opportunities for technical entrepreneurship.
The NBTE boss also drew attention to the longstanding disparity between Higher National Diploma holders and university degree holders, noting that discrimination against technical qualifications had discouraged students and affected career progression in the civil service and private sector.
He said addressing the disparity was essential to improving the status of technical education and encouraging more young Nigerians to pursue technical careers.
Bugaje also called for industry advisory boards at faculty and school levels in polytechnics to ensure that academic programmes reflected the changing requirements of manufacturers and other employers.
He explained that NBTE’s minimum academic standards allow polytechnics to tailor 10 per cent of their curricula to the specific needs of local industries while retaining the prescribed 90 per cent.
He stressed that adequately funded technical institutions, modern training facilities and meaningful partnerships with manufacturers were vital to making polytechnics drivers of industrial development.
At the meeting, Ike-Muonso proposed that discussions should prioritise areas for collaboration, joint research and technology projects, commercialisation, capacity building and mechanisms for monitoring agreed initiatives.
He reaffirmed RMRDC’s commitment to facilitating partnerships within its mandate and working with stakeholders to ensure that the engagement produced practical results.
The council’s WAITRO focal person, Dr. Oluremi Elusoji, expressed appreciation to the international delegation, government agencies, tertiary institutions and private-sector representatives for participating in the meeting.
Elusoji said the engagement had reinforced the importance of collaboration in converting research findings into practical solutions, promoting local value addition and advancing Nigeria’s industrialisation agenda.
He expressed optimism that the relationships established at the meeting would be sustained and developed into concrete initiatives that would benefit participating institutions and the country.
The meeting highlighted the need for Nigeria to strengthen the processes through which indigenous knowledge, technical expertise and locally available resources are converted into commercially viable products.
Participants were encouraged to pursue partnerships that would expand manufacturing capacity, create employment, develop local technologies and reduce dependence on imported industrial inputs.
The discussions underscored that Nigeria’s industrial transformation would depend not only on its natural resource endowment but also on its ability to connect research, technical education, investment and manufacturing to generate jobs, wealth and sustainable economic growth.
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