Abuja: Nigeria and the European Union (EU) have signed a historic science and technology pact, ending a 20-year hiatus to drive measurable innovation and scale startups across Africa through proactive implementation. Ambassador Gautier Mignot, Head of the EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, signed on behalf of the EU, while Dr. Kingsley Udeh, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, signed for Nigeria.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Udeh stated that the agreement marked a milestone by positioning Nigeria as a central hub for scientific advancement in Africa. He highlighted the historic nature of the deal, noting that it was the first such agreement the European Union had undertaken with any country in over two decades. To ensure the agreement’s effectiveness, a dedicated EU-Nigeria Joint Science and Technical Cooperation Committee was established, tasked with moving beyond standard action plans to creating deliberate strategies for cooperation.
The partnership specifically targets the growth of Nigeria’s technological sector, which already produces the majority of Africa’s ‘unicorns’-startups valued at over $1 billion. Through this international framework, the government aims to foster the emergence of more Nigerian tech giants and encourage the growth of innovative ecosystems across the African continent, translating local ingenuity into measurable industrial and economic impact.
The minister confirmed that the initiative aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government, which placed innovation at the heart of national development. Mignot noted that while cooperation was already active, the new agreement aimed to provide a legal and political framework to enhance the partnership, moving it from informal collaboration to a structured environment conducive to accelerated growth and greater visibility for past and future accomplishments.
The partnership is anchored in Horizon Europe, the world’s largest science and technology program. Mignot explained that the global nature of science necessitates the integration of Nigerian researchers and institutions into the nearly pound 100 billion initiative to foster universal knowledge exchange. According to him, the EU identifies Nigeria as a significant hub of innovation, research, and science.