TETFund fair targets commercialisation of 400 Nigerian innovations, says Bindir

By Felix Khanoba

Nigeria is set to showcase between 400 and 500 research-driven innovations with the potential to generate businesses, create jobs and boost economic prosperity at the 2026 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) National Research Fair and Exhibition, the chairman of the organising committee, Engr. Umar Bindir, has disclosed.

Bindir said the exhibition, scheduled for November 24 to 27 in Abuja, was designed to move research outputs beyond academic publications and laboratories into the marketplace, where they could be transformed into commercially viable products and services.

Speaking during the committee’s meeting on Thursday in Abuja, Bindir explained that the initiative was part of TETFund’s efforts to make research more relevant to Nigeria’s economic development by connecting innovators with investors, industries, business development institutions and intellectual property experts.

According to him, the committee received between 4,000 and 5,000 applications from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, research institutions, private inventors and other innovators across the country.

He said that only innovations that had attained a reasonable level of development and demonstrated practical potential were selected for exhibition.

“We have gotten an average of 350 to 400 nationwide from everywhere,” Bindir said, adding that the screening process was intended to identify research outputs capable of progressing towards commercialisation.

He explained that the committee deliberately avoided selecting projects that were still at the preliminary research stage or lacked the functionality required for practical application.

Bindir, who is also the founder and Chief Operating Officer of Bindir Knowledge Centre, Yola, said the ultimate objective was to demonstrate how knowledge generated in Nigerian institutions could address challenges in agriculture, healthcare, sanitation, housing, clothing and other critical sectors.

“So that we can be able to bring this on the table for Nigerians to see the power of knowledge and the outputs of our knowledge institutions that can help our country to change its course to become great,” he said.

The committee chairman disclosed that one of the major strategies for achieving this objective was to establish stronger connections between inventors and the institutions that could help transform their innovations into sustainable businesses.

He said intellectual property experts, including professionals in patents, trademarks and industrial designs, had been invited to offer free services and guide innovators on protecting their inventions.

The committee has also engaged business development experts to advise participants on business formation, the challenges of establishing small businesses and the steps required to turn innovations into profitable ventures.

Bindir further identified access to funding and industry partnerships as critical to the success of the initiative, noting that inventors often possessed technical ideas but lacked the financial resources and business expertise to commercialise them.

He said the committee was therefore bringing together banks, investors, industries and relevant government agencies to bridge the gap.

According to him, the involvement of the institutions would help innovators acquire the necessary training, register their businesses, standardise their products and prepare them for both local and international markets.

Giving an insight into the achievements recorded through previous edition of the fair, Bindir disclosed that between 30 and 40 innovations had reached an advanced stage and were already undergoing commercialisation-related activities.

He, however, noted that several others were still at intermediate stages and required additional support in business development, product standardisation and other areas before they could become commercially viable.

“Yes, we have like 30 to 40 of these matured ones that are actually ongoing. But there are many also that have gone to what we call halfway houses,” he said.

He explained that TETFund’s partnership with Innovat8 Hub was also looking at ways to support such innovations and move them closer to the market.

Bindir recalled that the previous fair introduced a deal-room arrangement that brought inventors and financial institutions together, creating opportunities for partnerships between people with innovative ideas and those with the resources to fund them.

He added that the 2026 edition would build on the experience by involving the business community more directly in the planning and organisation of the exhibition.

According to him, the objective was to ensure that Nigerian businesses did not merely observe the innovations but actively participated in identifying, adopting and supporting technologies with commercial potential.

The TETFund committee chairman also disclosed that the fair would feature an international symposium involving participants and institutions from different parts of the world.

He said representatives from China, India, Canada and Japan, as well as the World Bank, UNESCO and the African Development Bank, had been engaged to participate.

A Japanese expert is also expected to deliver a keynote address at the symposium.

Bindir explained that the international component was intended to create opportunities for knowledge exchange, expose Nigerian innovators to global standards and showcase the country’s research capabilities to the international community.

He added that the engagement would help change the perception of Nigeria as a country that generates knowledge but depends heavily on imported technologies and finished products.

“We are actually working. And the working is what will now change Nigeria from a country that is energized with knowledge but consuming other people’s products to a country that is energized technically, that is actually feeding other countries,” he said.

The fair, according to him, will hold at the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry Trade Fair Complex, along the Abuja Airport Road, with the international symposium scheduled to commence on November 25.

Bindir said the committee had already reached out to ministers, state governors, heads of government institutions and other stakeholders, urging them to attend and explore the innovations on display.

He commended TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arc.Sonny Echono, for providing the necessary administrative and logistical support to the committee, saying the level of backing had helped minimise the challenges usually associated with organising national events.

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