Korede Abdullah 
Professor Akin Abayomi
LAGOS, Nigeria – Lagos State has begun providing indigenous funding for local researchers working in digital technology and medicine as part of efforts to turn research findings into practical solutions for residents.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, disclosed this on Monday after representing Deputy Governor Kadri Obafemi Hamzat at a valedictory programme for Professor A.E. Oluleye at the University of Ibadan.
Abayomi said the state’s approach was designed to strengthen the connection between research institutions and government, particularly by supporting locally developed solutions to challenges affecting residents.
He questioned the need to depend heavily on imported technologies and solutions when Nigerian universities and research institutions already possess significant expertise and research capacity.
“Why import technology and solutions when significant knowledge, expertise and research capacity already exist within our institutions?”
The commissioner said research should extend beyond academic publications and contribute directly to policymaking, problem-solving and improvements in people’s lives.
“Research is most valuable when it influences policy, solves practical problems and improves lives.”
He also called for stronger collaboration between universities and government to ensure that research findings move from academic institutions into practical use.
According to Abayomi, stronger links are needed between research and policy, universities and government, as well as innovation and implementation.
He described the process as moving knowledge “from gown to town.”
The approach places greater emphasis on translating locally generated knowledge into technologies, policies and interventions that can address public needs.
For Lagos, supporting research in digital technology and medicine could also strengthen the role of local institutions in developing solutions tailored to the state’s health and technological challenges.
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Mirian Gom 