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Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has transmitted the National Research and Development Fund Bill 2026 to the Senate for consideration and passage.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the letter during plenary on Tuesday.
Akpabio said the Senate would expedite consideration of the Bill to facilitate its passage.
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The proposed law seeks to bring fragmented research and development funding across Ministries, Departments and Agencies under one central fund. The fund would finance research institutions and academic bodies.
According to Tinubu, the proposal would improve research funding and make resource use more efficient. It would also promote collaboration among research agencies, universities and the private sector.
In the letter, the President said the Bill was designed to “consolidate research financing, ensure more efficient utilisation of resources”. He added that it would bring fragmented Research and Development Funds across MDAs under one central mechanism.
The proposed fund would operate as a competitive funding system for research and innovation. It would also direct funding towards strategic national priorities.
Tinubu said the National Research and Development Fund would be established as an agency under the National Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology. The agency would receive direct funding from the Nigerian Content Development Fund.
The President said the move was necessary because Nigeria has many research institutions with separate mandates and budget allocations. He said the system had made it necessary to improve how available research resources were managed.
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“It is pertinent to note that with the current proliferation of research institutions and agencies operating within the research and development commercialisation landscape, each agency operates with a separate mandate and budgetary allocations,” he stated.
Tinubu said relevant stakeholders had reviewed the Bill. These included the Ministries of Education, Innovation, Science and Technology, and Justice. He said the review aimed to ensure the proposed law aligned with Nigeria’s education, science and innovation priorities.
The President urged the Senate to consider and pass the Bill expeditiously. He said the National Research and Development Fund would provide a central mechanism for research agencies and academic institutions to access funding. The proposal now awaits legislative consideration by the National Assembly.
