Abuja: The National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) says Nigeria is set to establish a national genomics infrastructure to drive healthcare, agriculture, biotechnology, and digital innovation. Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, Director-General of NBRDA, announced this in Abuja during a news conference on the National Genomics and Bioinformatics Data Generation, Repository and Management Infrastructure.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the initiative aims to create a sovereign and secure genomic database capturing Nigeria’s indigenous biodiversity across humans, plants, animals, and microorganisms. The infrastructure is expected to support precision medicine, climate-resilient agriculture, industrial biotechnology, and environmental sustainability while ensuring national ownership of genetic resources.
The project aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu on economic diversification, digital innovation, and sustainable development. The NBRDA chief highlighted that the initiative would also support the Nigeria Biogenomes Project and position the country as a producer of globally relevant biological knowledge and solutions.
Mustapha identified healthcare, agriculture, industrial biotechnology, environmental sustainability, and the digital economy as key sectors expected to benefit from the initiative. The infrastructure is anticipated to enhance disease detection, personalized treatment, food security, biodiversity conservation, and bio-manufacturing in Nigeria.
He further disclosed that NBRDA had entered partnerships with Basani Digital Innovations Limited and Indygeneus Bio Incorporated to accelerate the implementation of the initiative. These partnerships will expand digital healthcare access, strengthen biomedical research, and improve Nigeria’s genomic data generation and analytics capabilities.
Mustapha also emphasized that the initiative would create employment opportunities for science graduates in genomics, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and data science. The program is set to support innovation, start-ups, skills development, and research collaborations across emerging biotechnology fields.