Today my heart is filled with deep joy as we announce the Expression of Interest for the National Digital Economy Research Clusters— a ₦12 billion research funding scheme designed to place ideas, evidence, and research at the centre of Nigeria’s digital transformation. This programme is being funded under Project BRIDGE, our initiative to deploy 90,000km of fibre optic backbone infrastructure across Nigeria to expand connectivity and enable a modern digital economy. As we deepen our digital infrastructure coverage , thoughtful evidence based approaches are required to be deployed in society to ensure everyone benefits from this significant investment. Too often, the ideas shaping digital policy come predominantly from markets and political cycles rather than from research, evidence, and long-term thinking. A quote that captures this sentiment comes to mind: “The state of a society is a reflection of the ideas that dominate it — when good ideas spread, nations prosper; when bad ideas prevail, nations decay.” Through this programme, Nigeria will establish six national research clusters across key pillars of the digital economy: • Connectivity, Access, and Meaningful Use • Digital Public Infrastructure and Digital Government • Digital Skills, Education, and Human Capital • Digital Economy, Jobs, and Livelihoods • Trust, Safety, Consumer Protection, and Online Harms • Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies These research clusters will be led by up to 36 distinguished professors, from 36 Nigerian universities working with international academic partners. Across the clusters, over 200 researchers, including Postdoctoral Fellows and PhD candidates will generate rigorous, policy-relevant research to guide Nigeria’s digital economy for years to come. For me, the goal goes beyond research output. We are looking for better policies that lead to stronger institutions and a more prosperous society. Despite the scale of the other initiatives we are delivering at the Ministry, this is one of the most meaningful to me personally, because it plants seeds that will grow long after any one administration. If you are part of an academic or research institution committed to producing rigorous, policy-relevant research, you can review the Terms of Reference (TOR) in the EOI we are releasing today here - b.link/EOI-NDULRC and submit proposals to lead and participate in these national research clusters. Because nations that lead the future are not simply those that deploy infrastructure — they are the ones that cultivate ideas. In the coming week, we will host a press conference to further elaborate on this announcement. I encourage Vice-Chancellors of universities across Nigeria to look out for detailed information and engagement opportunities. #NigerianExcellence