BY Kunle Daramola
The Lagos government has inaugurated a newly constituted science, research & innovation council (LASRIC) as part of its commitment to position the state as a hub for cutting-edge technological advancement.
The council’s inauguration was held at the Lagos house in Alausa, on Friday.
According to Tunbosun Alake, Lagos commissioner for innovation, science and technology, the council’s mandate involves identifying opportunities for driving innovation and development in the state.
Alake said LASRIC’s role as a research, innovation, and technology council entails the application of discovered technological advancements across all sectors to enhance productivity and drive sustainable growth.
The council is chaired by Olumuyiwa Odusanya, vice-chancellor of the Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH), while members include academics, scientists, tech entrepreneurs, and public sector leaders like Folashade Ogunsola, vice chancellor of UNILAG; Benjamin Aribisala, director at Centre of Excellence for Sargassum research; Peter Bamkole, COO of Pan Atlantic University; and Victor Afolabi, founder of Eko Innovation Centre.
Others are Sulaimon Abubakar, CEO of Sterling Bank; Oreoluwa Somolu Lesi, founder of Women Tech Empowerment Centre; Nkemdilim Begho, CEO of Future Soft Resource Ltd.; Tomi Davies, collaborator-in-chief of TVC Lab; and Kola Aina, founding partner at Venture Platform.
On his part, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, pledged a commitment of N1 billion as the first tranche of a LASRIC seed fund to catalyse development in the state.
The governor, who was represented by Obafemi Hamzat, the deputy governor, said over the past four years, LASRIC has created over 500 jobs by supporting innovative startups and increased innovation activity within the state by over 250 per cent.
He advised the academics in the council to leverage LASRIC to better focus and translate their students’ research and thesis into entrepreneurial innovations with global impact.
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