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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has highlighted a growing number of Nigerian-made technologies and innovations emerging from TETFund-supported research.
He said that Nigeria is gradually moving from technology importation and assembly to local design and production.
Speaking in Abuja during a media interaction following the announcement of the 2025 National Research Fund (NRF) grant awards, Echono said research outcomes funded through the scheme are already producing practical solutions in agriculture, healthcare, transportation, renewable energy and manufacturing.
He said that one of the innovations being supported by TETFund is a cleaner and more efficient technology for garri processing that eliminates the traditional fire-based method commonly used by rural women.
He disclosed that the Fund had approved N250 million to demonstrate the technology across selected clusters and support local production of the equipment. “Instead of the traditional method of frying garri with firewood, researchers have developed a cleaner process powered by solar energy.
“We are funding its demonstration and encouraging local manufacturing so that it can be deployed across local government areas,” he said.
Echono also cited breakthroughs in agriculture, including the development of improved seed varieties capable of delivering significantly higher yields, as well as environmentally friendly approaches to pest management and crop protection.
“Other innovations emerging from Nigerian researchers include industrial-scale water purification systems, renewable energy technologies, and energy-efficient cooling solutions that could reduce dependence on conventional air conditioning systems,” he said.
Among the most successful projects, he said, was a locally developed hearing aid technology that has attracted international investment and is set for large-scale manufacturing in the United States.
The TETFund boss explained that although efforts were made to secure local production, international investors opted to establish manufacturing abroad due to infrastructure and market considerations.
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He, however, noted that the Nigerian inventor retained a substantial ownership stake in the venture, ensuring long-term benefits from the commercial success of the innovation.
Echono noted that many research outputs funded by TETFund are already progressing through standardisation, packaging and commercialisation stages, while several products have quietly entered the market.
“There are over a thousand research products and innovations in our inventory. What we usually showcase is only a fraction of what Nigerian researchers have achieved,” he said.
He pointed to ongoing innovations in the automotive sector, including Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion technologies, electric vehicle development and locally designed transport systems.
He said Nigerian universities and research institutions are increasingly developing prototypes that can compete with international products once scaled up for commercial production.
Echono also praised the achievements of indigenous automobile manufacturers and researchers involved in the production of locally made vehicles and specialised equipment. “You will be shocked at what Nigerians have been able to achieve in the auto industry. We now have locally produced vehicles, including fire engines that are 100 per cent made in Nigeria,” he said.
The TETFund Executive Secretary revealed that institutions are already working on replicating and improving vehicle technologies previously imported into the country, disclosing that some tertiary institutions have successfully reverse-engineered existing transport technologies and are now ready for commercial production.
Echono said the major challenge facing many innovations is not invention but scaling production and connecting researchers with industry players capable of commercialising their discoveries. “The missing link has always been industry uptake. Once a concept has been proven and a prototype developed, we need investors and manufacturers to take it up and produce it on a large scale,” he said.
To bridge that gap, TETFund said it’s planning to host another National Research Fair (NRF) in November, where researchers will showcase commercially viable innovations and pitch directly to investors, financial institutions, manufacturers and technology firms.
He expressed confidence that stronger collaboration between researchers and industry would accelerate Nigeria’s transition from a consumer of imported technology to a producer of globally competitive innovations.
“We are moving beyond importing technology. We are moving beyond assembling products. We are now focusing on actual design, innovation and production in Nigeria. The future is very bright for Nigerian research and innovation,” he added.
