Nasarawa University VC seeks collaboration on innovation ecosystem

Nasarawa University VC seeks collaboration on innovation ecosystem

The Vice-Chancellor of Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK), Prof. Sa’adatu Liman, says the university is seeking collaboration from government, industries, universities and other partners in building the university’s innovation ecosystem.

Liman stated this at a Public Lecture and Interactive Workshop held at the university in Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa state on Monday.

The public lecture and workshop was organised by Triple Helix Nigeria (THN), a Non-Governmental Organisation, in collaboration with the university.

It had the theme “Building innovation ecosystems in Nigerian universities: The Triple Helix imperative”.

Liman was represented by the university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Maikano Ari.

In her opening remarks, she said that the theme of the programme perfectly aligned with the vision and aspirations of the university in engaging in research that would lead to innovation for economic growth.

She, however, said that building innovation ecosystems required collaboration, commitment and working together with key players to drive Nigeria’s development.

She added that this informed the university’s decision in adopting the Triple Helix as a model which emphasised collaboration between universities, industry and government to drive innovation and economic growth.

“It is in this view that the university requests the continued assistance and support from our partners, including NASENI, NITDA and Triple Helix Nigeria.

“This is to nurture us to a state that will make us highly enterprising.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the Triple Helix as a model emphasises collaboration between universities, industry, and government to drive innovation and economic growth,” she said.

According to her, the key strategies for achieving the objectives of the model are essentially – interdisciplinary researches that encourage cross-faculty collaboration.

Also, industry partnerships through the development of internships, joint research, and transfer of technology.

She urged the government to enact innovation-friendly policies and funding, and advocated for entrepreneurship culture that would promote startups and innovation hubs.

On her part, Prof. Eucharia Nwaichi, appreciated the Vice-Chancellor and Management of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, for their partnership, openness, and shared commitment to advancing knowledge that translated into innovation, policy relevance, and societal Impact.

Nwaichi is a Board Member at the Triple Helix Nigeria, and Director, Academic Planning, Research and Control at the University of Port Harcourt.

She explained that the programme was not just an academic gathering, but a strategic platform for dialogue, co-creation, and solution-oriented engagement.

“I wish to acknowledge our foundational pillars – the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the University of Port Harcourt, and CypherCrescent Nigeria Limited.

“Their early institutional support helped shape the vision and operational strength of Triple Helix Nigeria.

“We also appreciate the continued support and collaboration of key national Institutions and partners.

“They include the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), TETFund, the National Universities Commission (NUC), PTDF, FUPRE, PTI, MWAN, NOTAP, NASENI, NITDA, and several others who continue to champion research, Innovation, capacity development, and inclusive growth,” she said.

In his presentation, the Keynote Speaker at the event, Mr ThankGod Egbe, explained that the presentation was about how the Triple Helix model could be leveraged to build an innovation ecosystem in Nigerian universities.

Egbe is an Engineer and the Chief Executive Officer of CypherCresent Ltd.

“How do we convert the research that we do in universities to startups, to industries, and that cannot be done alone?.

“The presentation today is basically on how we can leverage that network that exists around universities to convert those universities’ projects to innovations.

“Innovations that will lead to startups, that will lead to creating industries, that will lead to job creation, that will lead to national development,” he said.

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In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Prof. Josiah Onovo, the Director of Research, Innovation and Enterprise at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, explained that the key objective if the programme.

He said the  programme was organised in collaboration with Triple Helix to further advocate the importance of collaboration among the three pillars – academia, industry and government, that would result in sustainable development in Nigerian Universities.

Also, Dr Vincent Paul, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Entrepreneurship Studies in the university, and member, Local Organising Committee of the event, spoke with journalists.

Paul commended Triple Helix Nigeria and the management of NSUK for showing great concern in seeking solutions to issues relating to innovation and development in the country.

VMT NEWS reports that the event was attended by dignitaries both within and outside the state, featuring panel discussions, speeches, goodwill messages, among others.