The Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) has called for stronger collaboration among universities, research institutions, government agencies, regulators and private sector operators to translate food research into commercially viable products, strengthen local industries and expand Nigeria’s export opportunities.

The institute also urged the government to increase funding for agricultural research, streamline regulatory approvals, protect intellectual property and provide incentives for research and development to accelerate innovation and commercialisation.

Speaking at NIFST’s 50th conference and yearly general meeting in Lagos recently, its President, Dr Bola Osinowo, said Nigeria must move beyond scientific discoveries to develop market-ready products that can aid job creation, attract investment and compete in international markets.

The conference, themed “Transforming Food Research into Enterprise through Innovation and Commercialisation for Sustainable Development,” brought together researchers, scientists, manufacturers, university academics and representatives of regulatory agencies, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

Osinowo said the institute’s next 50 years should focus on positioning Nigeria as a leading destination for food research and commercialisation, noting that although academia drives innovation, industry participation is essential to translating discoveries into sustainable businesses.

He stressed the need to protect intellectual property through trademarks and licensing agreements to encourage researchers and entrepreneurs to develop commercially viable products and attract investors.

He also called on universities to integrate entrepreneurship training into their curricula, equipping researchers with the skills to transform scientific discoveries into businesses.

The NIFST president lamented inadequate financing for agricultural research, noting that banks remained reluctant to fund agricultural start-ups because of perceived risks. He advocated increased investment in rural agriculture and food-processing facilities, stronger public-private partnerships, tax incentives for research and development, and support for export-oriented processing.

In his keynote lecture, Professor Lateef Oladimeji Sanni said collaboration among universities, research institutes, industries and government agencies was critical to bridging the gap between scientific research and commercial production.

He noted that despite substantial research conducted over the years, many findings had yet to translate into products available in commercial quantities, leaving Nigeria’s potential to serve domestic and international markets largely untapped.

Sanni identified innovation, commercialisation and collaboration as the pillars of sustainable development, explaining that innovation generates solutions, commercialisation enables production at scale, while collaboration sustains the process.

He highlighted emerging opportunities in alternative proteins, including laboratory-grown meat and insect-based proteins for animal feed and snacks, as well as artificial intelligence, digital food technologies, sustainable food systems and personalised nutrition.

He added that functional foods, including fortified products and those designed to support gut health, could help address specific nutritional needs associated with conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, as well as ageing.

However, Sanni identified inadequate funding, limited pilot-scale production facilities, unreliable electricity, logistical challenges, weak intellectual property protection, regulatory gaps and insufficient entrepreneurship training as major barriers to food innovation in Africa.

He said commercialising research required market assessments, prototype development, safety testing, value addition and partnerships with industry to ensure products met consumer needs and could be produced sustainably.

Also speaking, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, said food innovation must advance alongside effective regulation to ensure new products meet safety, quality and nutritional requirements.

Adeyeye stressed that research-driven enterprises must demonstrate that their products were safe, properly labelled and compliant with regulatory requirements, adding that regulation was essential to consumer confidence, business sustainability and access to wider markets.