The Federal Government has launched a N12 billion Digital Economy Research Fund, setting up a network of national research clusters aimed at putting data and evidence at the heart of Nigeria’s digital policy decisions.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday 31st March 2026, where he unveiled the National Digital Economy Research Clusters under the Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth (BRIDGE) project.
Vanguard News reports that the fund will finance large-scale research across six priority areas of the digital economy and connect Nigerian academics with international partners to generate policy relevant insights.
The initiative brings together over 200 researchers drawn from universities and research institutions across the country, in a coordinated effort to generate data-driven solutions for national development challenges. Each cluster will be led by up to six professors, supported by postdoctoral researchers and PhD students, significantly expanding the country’s research capacity.
The Sun Nigeria also reported that the N12 billion funding is backed by the World Bank, which will provide $1.5 million for each cluster, with additional resources expected through international collaborations.
The newly launched research clusters will focus on key areas such as connectivity, digital public infrastructure, skills development, job creation, online safety, and emerging technologies including artificial intelligence.
The minister stressed that the initiative is designed to move the country away from isolated academic work to a collaborative, impact driven research model that directly informs government policy and industry decisions. He also disclosed that Nigeria’s digital economy contribution to GDP has risen from about 16–18 per cent to nearly 20 per cent, with a target of 21 per cent in the near term.
The Federal Ministry of Education is partnering on the project to align academic research with national priorities. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, emphasised the role of universities as hubs of innovation and problem-solving, rather than mere centres of learning.
Universities and research institutions have been invited to submit expressions of interest to lead or collaborate within the clusters.
