The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) said it has so far spent over N23 billion on funding research across the country.

Assistant Director, Research and Development (R&D) of TETFund, Dr. Hadiza Ismail, made the disclosure at a validation workshop on Strengthening Research and Innovation Funding Agencies in West Africa, which was held at the Fund's headquarters, in Abuja.

Galaxy TV reports that Hadiza, who represented the Director of TETFund's R&D at the event, said the agency was fully committed to the establishment of a Science Granting Council in Nigeria.

While noting that TETFund has continued to financially support research through the National Research Fund, Hadiza said the Fund was also working hard to ensure that research outputs are linked to industry to bring about the desired development.

On his part, Executive Director, African Technology Policy Studies (ATPS) Network, Professor Nicholas Ozor, said the workshop was aimed at giving momentum to a project designed to strengthen national research councils in six West African countries.
He, however, expressed concerns about the non-existence of a national research and innovation funding agency in Nigeria, saying the absence has denied the country's ability to attract foreign grants for research.

Also speaking, the President of African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja, Professor Peter Onwualu, who harped on the importance of innovation in bringing about development, said the workshop was expected to usher in a functional science granting council in Nigeria.