The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) are exploring stronger collaboration between academia and the private sector to translate Nigerian research and innovation into commercial products, jobs and economic opportunities.
The partnership was discussed during a working visit by the TETFund National Research Fair and Exhibition Committee to the ACCI on Thursday in Abuja, where stakeholders stressed the need to move research beyond academic publications to practical solutions for industry and the wider economy.
Umar Bindir, Chairman of the TETFund Research Exhibition and Technology Fair 2026 Committee, said the visit was aimed at facilitating a deliberate partnership between Nigeria’s knowledge system and industrial sector.
He said the initiative was designed to ensure that research produced by Nigerian institutions was applied to solve local problems and create economic value.
‘The reason why we are here is to facilitate a deliberate partnership between the knowledge system of Nigeria and the industrial system of Nigeria so that we can be able to see our knowledge working for us,’ Bindir said.
He said the desired outcome was for Nigerians to increasingly use locally developed knowledge and technology to deliver infrastructure, produce goods and create employment.
‘It would be nice that if this particular partnership works, we will now start seeing Nigerian roads designed, constructed, operated and maintained by Nigerians. We would love to see milk being produced, processed, packaged by Nigerians. We want to see jobs created all over Nigeria using Nigerian technology and knowledge. We want to see young people creating wealth in various sectors using Nigerian knowledge,’ he said.
Bindir said Nigeria had a substantial research and industrial ecosystem capable of supporting the initiative, citing more than 300 universities and over 600 institutions coordinated by the National Board for Technical Education, alongside institutions under the National Commission for Colleges of Education.
According to him, the TETFund initiative is intended to bring these institutions closer to businesses and industry organisations so that research can respond more directly to economic needs.
He said the initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that the inspection of facilities at ACCI marked the commencement of engagements ahead of the Research Exhibition and Technology Fair scheduled for later in November.
Earlier, Adesoji Adesugba, 1st Deputy President of ACCI, said the Chamber welcomed TETFund’s deliberate inclusion of the organised private sector in its programmes.
Adesugba said the value of research was ultimately realised when knowledge was translated into products, enterprises and jobs.
He said ACCI, as the voice of businesses in the Federal Capital Territory and its environs, was ready to strengthen collaboration with TETFund through the organised private sector, led by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).
Adesugba highlighted the Chamber’s existing partnership with Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, as an example of how academia-industry collaboration could produce practical outcomes.
According to him, ACCI and the university have jointly developed a Gemology and Jewellery Making curriculum, while the institution has established what he described as the first and only Department of Geology and Gemology, with 150 students currently enrolled.
The Chamber is also involved in entrepreneurship development training, undergraduate research activities, the Farm to Table Agricultural Innovation Programme and a Digital Innovation Centre initiative.
Adesugba said the partnership was designed to ensure that university research topics addressed actual industry needs rather than remaining largely academic.
He, however, called for TETFund support for the establishment of a world-class Gemology Laboratory and Jewellery Making Centre at Yakubu Gowon University.
Such a facility, he said, would provide hands-on training, support certification and testing, and help Nigeria add value to its gemstones and other mineral resources instead of exporting them in raw form.
‘It is worth recalling that this collaboration between the Chamber and the University traces its roots to the tenure of Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah in 2022, and it aligns squarely with what TETFund itself is working to achieve. The link is therefore natural and complementary. What TETFund is championing at the national level, the University and the Chamber are already practising on the ground.
‘It is against this background that I make a specific request of this distinguished Committee. There is a pressing need for a world class Gemology Laboratory and Jewelry Making Centre at the Yakubu Gowon University. Such a facility would anchor the Gemology Curriculum, provide hands on training, support certification and testing, and position Nigeria to add value to its gemstones rather than exporting them raw.
‘The University, working with the Chamber, will be approaching TETFund formally in this regard. I therefore respectfully appeal to the Committee to use its good offices to support TETFund funding for the development of this much needed facility, in line with the mandate of academia and industry collaboration and in support of the work that the University and the Chamber are already doing together,’ Adesugba said
He said the proposed centre would complement TETFund’s broader objective of strengthening collaboration between universities and industry while supporting Nigeria’s efforts to derive greater economic value from its natural resources.
The engagement also included an inspection of ACCI facilities, including the Chamber’s Business Enterprise and Skills Training Centre (BEST Centre), as stakeholders explored opportunities for deeper collaboration between research institutions and the private sector.