The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, in 2019 released the sum of N40million to fund relevant research works in tertiary institutions across the country.
NCC said the endowment fund which was released to Bayero University, BUK, Kano and the Federal University of Technology, FUTO, in Owerri, Imo State was in line with its drive for technological innovations which would boost the country’s economic growth.
The fund will be utilized by the institutions to drive innovation, research and development in the digital space with an ongoing commitment to expand the list of benefiting institutions, NCC said.
Speaking in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta said in keeping with its ongoing tradition of driving technology innovations through funding relevant researches in tertiary institutions, the Commission, “in May 2019, announced N40 million endowment funds for Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
“A month after, precisely in June, the Commission, again, demonstrated its determination to facilitating research and innovation in the telecom industry in Nigeria by presenting the sum of N65 million to eleven (11) universities in Nigeria for driving innovation, research and development.
“Through the funding, the benefitting tertiary institutions are expected to deliver research results and prototypes that are implementable, commercially-viable and capable of engendering innovation in different sectors of the economy.”
NCC also supported young innovators by showcasing their innovations at global telecoms fora such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecoms World. Organising local competition for innovators to competitively encourage them to develop locally-relevant tech innovations that can help grow the economy was part of the NCC’s efforts at promoting ICT innovations.
