The Nanotechnology Research Group (NANO+) of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, has announced that its 8th International Conference on nanotechnology will take place from November 18 to 22, 2024, at the main campus of the university in Ogbomoso.

The 8th international conference coincides with the group’s 10th anniversary having been formed in 2014. The conference themed ‘Nanotechnology Revolution for Sustainable Development: Securing the Future for the Benefits of Humanity’ is part of the continued effort of the group aimed at nanotechnology discourse for national development.

The conference will be chaired by the Vice Chancellor of LAUTECH, Prof. Razaq Olatunde Rom Kalilu, while the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, will declare the conference open on November 20, 2024. The keynote address will be delivered by the DG/CEO, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), Lagos Nigeria, Prof. Martins Emeje.

Lead papers will be delivered by seasoned scholars in nanotechnology from Nigeria, Malaysia, Sweden, and South Africa, among others. In the 10 years of existence of the research group, NANO+ has progressed with landmark achievements in promoting nanotechnology research and development.

At the 14th and 15th convocation ceremonies held in 2022 and 2023 respectively, the group was praised for its resilience, pursuit of research, and the publication of top-rated articles which assisted in the rating of the university.

At the 16th convocation ceremonies held in 2024, three of the 10 awardees that received the Vice Chancellor’s Commendation award were members of the LAUTECH Nanotechnology Research Group. They are Professors Agbaje Lateef, Musibau A. Azeez and Taofeek A. Yekeen of the Department of Pure and Applied Biology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso.

Members have also won a series of fellowships and grants, including three ongoing TETFund sponsored National Research Fund (NRF) grants. Besides the remarkable web presence, advocacy on nanotechnology, and over 170 published articles in peer-reviewed journals by the members of NANO+, the flagship Journal of the group ‘Nano Plus: Science and Technology of Nanomaterials’ which was launched in 2021 has progressed to volume 8 and now indexed in African Journals Online (AJOL), South Africa. As the first dedicated journal of nanotechnology in Sub-Saharan Africa, the journal seeks to promote nanotechnology knowledge beyond the shores of Nigeria.