Dr Philip Osim, a Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) researcher, says science education is critical to building Nigeria’s human capital and accelerating innovation and technological growth.
Osim said this during an interview with reporters in Abuja on Friday.
He said science education provides the skills needed for an innovation-driven, knowledge-based economy.
He added that strong science education would equip students with the analytical, computational and technical competencies required to develop and maintain critical infrastructure.
“Science education serves as the bedrock for Nigeria’s transition toward an innovation-driven, knowledge-based economy,” he said.
According to him, such competencies are essential across telecommunications, digital systems, renewable energy and other technology-dependent sectors critical to national development.
Osim said science education could also strengthen agricultural innovation by producing researchers capable of developing high-yield and drought-resistant crops suited to local environmental conditions.
He further noted that biotechnology and other scientific disciplines support the development of agricultural technologies tailored to Nigeria and wider Sub-Saharan African realities.
“Science education trains the researchers and professionals who develop solutions that respond to our own agricultural and environmental conditions,” Osim said.
The researcher told reporters that a strong scientific base would enable Nigeria to adapt imported technologies instead of depending entirely on foreign solutions.
He said local scientists and engineers could reverse-engineer, modify and commercialise existing technologies to address specific national challenges.
Osim also linked science education to entrepreneurship and industrial research, saying it encouraged problem-solving and created opportunities for technology hubs, incubators and research-based businesses.
He identified health technology, financial technology and local manufacturing among the sectors that could benefit from stronger links between scientific education, research and entrepreneurship.
He said science education also has an important role in evidence-based governance, particularly in regulating emerging technologies and strengthening national scientific policies.
“Scientifically trained personnel could contribute to biosafety frameworks, technology-transfer policies and ethical guidelines for emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence,” he said.
Osim urged greater investment in science education, research infrastructure and industry partnerships to ensure that scientific knowledge translated into technologies, businesses, jobs and improved public services.
He said strengthening the science education pipeline would ultimately help Nigeria move from dependence on imported technologies towards greater domestic capacity for innovation and technological development.
