By Frank Ikpefan, Abuja
The Federal Government has increased the National Research Fund (NRF) for Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) from its initial N3 billion to N7.5 billion for 2020.
The approval, which came from President Muhammadu Buhari, will enable the agency to provide 12 COVID-19 and related infectious disease molecular laboratories, two in each geopolitical zone.
This makes the fund the highest single provider of COVID-19 test centres in Nigeria.
TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, announced this at the 2020 TETFund Board of Trustees (BoT) retreat in Abuja.
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He explained that the latest approval makes the agency the largest holder of research grants in the country.
The executive secretary said the BoT of TETFund approved over N200 million to sponsor some COVID-19 research proposals, mainly from universities and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Bogoro also said President Buhari approved the establishment of six medical simulation research and clinical training facilities in six colleges of medicine in each geopolitical zone this year.
“In addition, the BoT also endorsed and was subsequently approved by the President, that six Medical Simulation Research and Clinical Training facilities in six Colleges of Medicine (one in each geopolitical zone) are to be established this year.
“Individually, this provided an opportunity for 12 COVID-19 and related infectious disease molecular laboratories to be provided (two in each geopolitical zone), thus making TETFund the highest single provider of COVID-19 test centres in Nigeria.
“The BoT also approved that TETFund sponsors some COVID-19 research proposals to the tune of over N200 million, mainly from Universities and NAFDAC, this being one of the reasons TETFund has recently been made the Secretariat for the Nigeria COVID-19 Research Consortium R&D,” he said.
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