Despite Nigeria’s ample manpower supply, experts said it has failed in its contribution to global research regarding tropical diseases and medicine. A professor at Rutgers University, United States, Olabode Ibironke, said that Nigeria should have improved in significant domestic research for the benefit of citizens owing to the rise in tropical diseases in the country. In her words, “Nigeria should be to sub-Saharan Africa what the US is to the western world.” Although leading in culture, Nigeria ought to be leading sub-Saharan Africa in research, innovation and culture.
A French-Belgian online resource platform, Cairn Info, asserted that while research and development is employed for social responsibilities such as health care, pension schemes, education and others, governments also use it to secure long term competitiveness which engenders economic growth and employment. As a result, successful economies around the world invest heavily in research. In most cases also, research funding received are diverted to social, health and economic sectors that pose threats to the society — an act practiced by the US government.
Science and technology are essential for national development.
The inability of Nigeria to prioritize R&D has contributed to the persistence of malaria, leprosy, Ebola, Marburg virus disease, schistosomiasis, tuberculosis, Lassa Fever and other tropical diseases in the country. Still, Nigeria has produced skilled researchers that have been incredibly benefitting to other countries of the world. The Nigerian government is therefore advised to invest massively in R&D, implementing the knowledge of its innovators to ensure development in every sector. Science and technology are key to national development and improvement of the quality of life, economic growth and wealth creation.
In the ‘80s, Nigeria attempted deployment of financial resources to develop a national strategy on scientific research. However, the strategy has been abandoned for many decades now by successive governments. President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2015, pledged to multiply investment in science, research and technology but the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) stated that the country only invests 0.02 percent of its revenue in this sector. Following this assertion, in January 2023, the government pledged to dedicate 0.5 percent of GDP to hasten development.
Giant of Africa, absent from list of 90 top research spenders.
As it is expected, top R&D investors in the world are also the richest countries in the world, they include the US, Japan, France, China, Germany and the United Kingdom. On a list of 90 top research spenders arranged by Britain’s Royal Society, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, and Brazil were respectively ranked fourth, sixth, ninth, tenth and eleventh. South Korea and Taiwan were able to retain their status as leading export economies with the help of R&D, while the remaining three are among five emerging economies, known as BRICS. Of all 90 top research spenders, the Giant of Africa is nowhere to be found.
Some African countries have realized the significance of R&D and have thereby increased their R&D expenditure. According to UNESCO, South Africa increased its gross R&D expenditure from R35.6 billion to R38.7 billion, between 2017 and 2018. In the same year, Nigeria’s Ministry of Science and Technology received an allocation of only $175 million as its overall budget — a token of 0.757 percent of the federal budget. In 2020, the global economy ranking of 67 countries saw Israel as the country with the highest value of expenditure at 5.4 percent.
Partnership with private sector would revive Nigeria’s research institutes.
To birth a change, federal and state governments are urged to divert their resources into agriculture and science industries. The government should also learn proper utilization of its manpower the same way other countries benefit from the intellects of abroad-based Nigerian researchers. Likewise, Nigeria is advised to ensure removal of bureaucracy from its public research institutions. A synergy should exist between universities, research institutes and the private sector. Close partnership with the private sector would awaken the country’s comatose research institutes, encouraging positive impacts to national development.
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Nigeria lags behind in research & development – Successful economies in the world have heavy investments in research. – Express your point of view.
It is very sad that the giant of Africa is not giant again in term of every aspect of life which is very bad and this keeps increasing everyday because the people in government only care about themselves and their family members.
I think Nigeria ought to be leading in research and development in Africa but the lack of good leaders and inability of the country to prioritize research and development has contributed negativity every sector experiences.I urge the gov’t to invest very well in research and development implementing the knowledge of its innovators to ensure development in every sector.
We need to start to invest in research and development. We need to be innovative and create new things. This can only be done through research.
It’s no new that science and technology are key factors in the development of a nation. Successful economies around the world invest heavily in research and technology; Nigeria should emulate that. We have highly intellectual population who are willing to engage in these research; they just need support
Successful economies in the world have heavy investments in research. Is too bad that we are still lacking behind due to bad Government. A lot of things have been affected. We keep on trying on research level
We should invest more in research so we can enjoy the benefit, building of technology that will help the country that why we should invest in research other countries invest in research and it help their economy
We need to engage in more research in this country so we can grow better in many and various aspects of the country and it will be useful for us.
We all know that these people can not just carry out researches like that, they need proper financial backing to properly do it, so the government has to help with this.
Research provide new things to the country advance technology for the betterment of the country all successful country invest in research and it help their economy boost well
Our government should also learn how to make effective use of its workforce so that it can generate the highest quality work and obtain the greatest possible results that would be of assistance to the populace.
We’re all aware that our country has a bright and talented populace capable of conducting such studies, but most of them have moved for better opportunities elsewhere.
People in power only care about themselves and their families, and as a result, the once-mighty continent of Africa is falling further and further behind in every conceivable way.
I would say that Nigeria is in a quagmire of confusion, buried in financial instability and ruled by devouring vulture who called themselves political leaders but care less about R&D which is the benchmark for economic growth but only concern with what goes into their pocket at the detriment of the growth and development of the country. We need leaders who have passion for the development of Nigeria and will be willing to work towards it. Massive Investment should be made in R&D and the Tertiary institutions that are into Science and technology should be allowed to work in collaboration with private sectors.
Government should invest more in research and development cause it will open more way for progress in the country.
When it comes to research, development, technology and science, Nigeria’s far behind. Even with the fact that we have resources it’s sad to know we’re not making good use of them
As a nation, we must devote more resources to scientific inquiry if we are to advance in the numerous and varied fields in which we are interested.
As the incidence of tropical diseases has increased in Nigeria, the country’s research infrastructure should have been upgraded for the benefit of its people.
The world’s prosperous economies make significant investments in research. It’s unfortunate that our government is ineffective and we continue to lag behind. Many different things have been impacted. We continue to work on the research level.
Nigeria is blessed with human and mineral resources; men and women who are gifted in science and technology; that can transform the world and make Nigeria great but bad leaders have made this impossible. They only care for their own wellbeing. If only our government can invest in R &D then we should be far ahead of some developed countries, then we can be regards as giant of Africa.