Rusty gold in Nigeria: Untapped advances in nanotechnology

Abstract

Reasons for the slow pace of nanotechnology research in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, are explored, given Nigeria's huge human and natural endowments, and solutions are proffered to address the seemingly lagging outlook of the country in nanotechnology. This Commentary is relevant to all critical stakeholders at national, regional and international levels to mobilise efforts to advance the course of nanotechnology in Nigeria and beyond.This Commentary was born of the author's experience as a leading researcher in nanobiotechnology in Nigeria, having published more than 70 articles on nanotechnology since 2015, a textbook titled Microbial Nanobiotechnology: Principles and Applications 1 , and as head of a multidisciplinary nanotechnology research group in Nigeria. The Commentary draws on several types of data on nanotechnology R&D in Nigeria including demographic, economic (GDP and budgetary allocation) and scientometric.