The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has declared that Nigeria must commercialise research findings to drive job creation, strengthen local manufacturing and accelerate economic growth, as the agency unveiled plans to expand the 2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition to attract innovators, investors and industry stakeholders nationwide.
Key Highlights
TETFund says Nigeria must commercialise research to create jobs and grow the economy.
2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition to be expanded for wider participation.
Researchers, inventors, investors and entrepreneurs to collaborate on commercialising innovations.
National database of research outputs to be created.
Exhibition to feature an international innovation conference.
Nigerians with innovative products and inventions invited to participate.
Speaking in Abuja while inaugurating the committee for the 2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition, Echono said Nigeria possesses enormous intellectual resources that must be transformed into market-ready products and services capable of addressing the country’s developmental challenges.
He explained that TETFund is repositioning the National Research Fair as Nigeria’s leading innovation platform where researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs and investors can collaborate to commercialise home-grown technologies.
“Nigeria is richly endowed with intellectual assets. Our ability to harness these and deploy them to activate the various sectors of our economy, promote local manufacturing, create jobs and generate wealth across the value chains will put the country on the path to sustainable greatness,” Echono said.
The TETFund Executive Secretary noted that the decision to expand participation in the 2026 exhibition followed the success of the maiden edition held in November 2024, which showcased research breakthroughs from tertiary institutions and facilitated strategic partnerships between researchers and industry players.
According to him, several research innovations displayed during the inaugural exhibition have already been introduced into the Nigerian market, contributing to job creation and industrial development.
Echono disclosed that the reconstituted committee now includes representatives of the organised private sector, innovation hubs, relevant government ministries, the Nigerian military, the Association of Nigerian Inventors, community inventors and other key stakeholders to broaden collaboration and encourage innovation.
He said the committee would identify, collate and showcase proven research outputs while creating opportunities for researchers to engage angel investors, venture capitalists, intellectual property experts, technology licensing professionals and entrepreneurs.
“The main goal of the committee is to source, collate and showcase proven research and development outputs, technologies and products, while creating an enabling environment for collaboration that will facilitate the commercialisation of these innovations for Nigeria and the global market,” he said.
Echono further revealed that the committee would develop a comprehensive national database of research outputs from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and research institutes across the country, while selecting innovations for exhibition later this year.
He added that the 2026 edition would include an international conference expected to attract researchers, innovation experts and investors from across Africa and other parts of the world.
In a move aimed at widening participation, Echono announced that entries would no longer be restricted to TETFund beneficiary institutions.
“We’ll be advertising for entries, and any Nigerian who has developed a product, service or invention is encouraged to apply,” he said.
He also urged participants from the maiden edition to return with improved technologies and newly developed products to demonstrate the progress achieved since the inaugural fair.
“We want this fair to become a truly national event and Nigeria’s foremost innovation and technology exhibition where inventors, innovators and researchers can showcase the products of their research,” he added.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Chairman Engr. Umar Bindir commended Echono for expanding the committee’s membership to include researchers, industry leaders, inventors and policymakers, describing the initiative as a practical step towards bridging the gap between research and industry.
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Bindir pledged the committee’s commitment to delivering a successful exhibition capable of transforming research outcomes into commercially viable products.
Earlier, TETFund’s Director of Research and Development and Centres of Excellence, Suleiman Zwingina, said the Fund had supported numerous research projects that produced promising technologies and prototypes requiring commercialisation.
He explained that the National Research Fair and Exhibition was established to connect researchers with investors, manufacturers and policymakers, enabling innovative ideas to become products and services that solve Nigeria’s development challenges.
The National Research Fair and Exhibition remains one of TETFund’s flagship initiatives aimed at bridging the gap between research institutions and industry through the commercialisation of innovations developed in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
