Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group, has entered into partnership with the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, to enhance research and education across various sectors.
The partnership, which was formalised by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aims to foster innovation and growth through collaboration between industry and academia.
The MoU covers 18 faculties and over 100 departments of ABU, and was signed in a ceremony where TGI Group’s head of strategic partnerships, Habiba Suleiman, highlighted the benefits of bridging the gap between the data generated by academic research and the practical solutions needed by policy makers.
Suleiman said, “We are witnessing a lot of research activities in universities across the country, but they are not being utilised effectively. This is a lost opportunity in today’s world, where data is king. Therefore, this partnership is vital to creating the link between the rich data available in academia and the impactful policy solutions that Nigeria urgently needs for sustainable development.”
According to him, TGI Group is committed to investing in collaborative projects that involve various stakeholders, including public, private, and international development sectors, as well as over 200,000 smallholder farmers.
The group also announced a research grant dedicated to studying the challenges and opportunities of the cotton value chain in Nigeria.
Suleiman said that the grant will focus on the cotton value chain, which used to be a thriving sector in 13 states across the Northeast, Northwest, and North-Central, with states such as Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina hosting vibrant textile industries.
The managing director of ABUCONS, Dr Umar Faruq Yaya, welcomed the partnership, stating that research funding advances the frontier of knowledge and helps standardise policy formulation.
ABU vice-chancellor, Prof Kabir Bala echoed this statement, stressing the crucial role of partnership funding from business institutions.
