FG to Invest ₦12bn in digital-Economy Research Projects

The Federal Government will invest ₦12 billion in research projects to deepen Nigeria’s digital economy, according to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani.

The fund is designed to back university and industry-led research that strengthens capacity in core digital technologies and turns local ideas into scalable products.

While formal guidelines are expected, officials say the programme will prioritise areas that unlock growth and public value, such as digital public infrastructure (identity, payments, verifiable credentials),

AI and data science, cybersecurity, broadband and last-mile connectivity, e-governance tools, and talent pipelines linking researchers to industry.

The push builds on earlier ministry efforts to seed research projects and align with Nigeria’s broader tech blueprint.

Nigeria’s tech ecosystem has matured, but R&D funding remains relatively thin compared to the market size. A targeted, competitive research fund can:

• Derisk early ideas so universities and startups can test prototypes;
  
• Localise solutions for identity, payments, health and agriculture;
  
• Boost security and resilience across government systems and critical infrastructure;
  
• Create commercial pathways from labs to industry via standards, pilots and spin-outs.

What to watch next

• Call for proposals & eligibility: Clear criteria for universities, research institutes, consortia and startup partnerships, with published scoring rubrics and timelines.
  
• Open science rules: Data-sharing, reproducibility, and IP frameworks that enable commercialisation while protecting the public interest.
  
• Co-funding & pilots: Matching grants from industry and development financiers; government-backed sandboxes in payments, identity, healthcare and agriculture.
  
• Transparency: Project dashboards showing grant amounts, milestones, code repositories where appropriate, and independent audits.