Abuja: The Nigerian Society of Physical Sciences (NSPS) asserts that physical sciences are crucial for driving innovation, economic progress, and sustainable development in Nigeria. This statement was made in a communiqu© issued in Abuja following the conclusion of its 4th international conference held in Zaria, Kaduna State, from February 9 to February 14.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the communiqu© was signed by Prof. Oladiran Abimbola, President of NSPS, Prof. Babatunde Falaye, NSPS Secretary, and other members of the Local Organising Committee. The conference, themed ‘From Labs to Lives: Harnessing the Prospects of Physical Sciences in Tackling Nigeria’s Economic, Security, and Energy Crises’, emphasized the alignment of physical sciences research in Nigeria with global technological trends, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence, advanced materials, computational sciences, and sustainability.
The society noted evidence of innovation within Nigeria that addresses national priorities such as energy security, environmental management, digital infrastructure, and healthcare technologies. The communiqu© stressed the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in transforming research findings into scalable industrial and policy solutions.
Furthermore, the group highlighted the necessity for stronger integration between academia, industry, and government institutions to speed up technology transfer and commercialisation. It pointed out that sustained investment in research infrastructure, advanced laboratories, and high-performance computational systems is vital for maintaining global competitiveness.
The conference concluded with resolutions to bolster national and international research collaborations through structured institutional partnerships. It also called for increased investment from both public and private sectors in science, technology, and innovation infrastructure.
Additional resolutions included the promotion of frameworks that support entrepreneurship, commercialisation, and intellectual property development. The society committed to enhancing postgraduate research training, mentorship, and early-career capacity development, while also encouraging responsible, ethical, and environmentally sustainable scientific practices.
In his address during the conference, Prof. Abimbola highlighted recent achievements in the society’s publishing efforts, noting that the Journal of the Nigerian Society of Physical Sciences had achieved a Q1 ranking by Scopus and a Q3 ranking in Scimago. He also mentioned that African Scientific Reports was accepted into Clarivate’s Emerging Sources Citation Index, reflecting the growing international recognition of Nigerian-led scientific scholarship.