Abuja: The Federal Government says it will inaugurate an electronic portal to revolutionise health research proposal submission and approval in the country. The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, disclosed this at the opening of a two-day workshop on 'Electronic Portal Protocol Management System and National Ethics Standardisation Sensitisation' in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the workshop is for members of the National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC). Salako, who was represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr. Kamil Shotirere, said the portal would enhance Nigeria's capacity to conduct an ethical review process of high-quality research that meets international standards. The e-portal is expected to be operational before the end of 2025.
'We need to test run it after this training and also see how effectively it is working before we tell the world to submit research proposals. We are making sure that before the end of the third quarter of this year, they should start submitting,' Salako stated. He noted that the workshop was a significant step toward streamlining and strengthening research ethics review processes in Nigeria.
Dr. Lolade Adeyemi, Special Adviser to the Minister of State for Health on Research and Innovation, said the Federal Government was committed to providing financial support to research in the country. However, she noted that the funding was insufficient, and some partners, including the Gates Foundation and the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Centre, were already involved.
The Chairman of NHREC, Prof. Richard Adegbola, highlighted a major challenge in research as the lack of infrastructural support, which impacts the submission, review, and return of reports. He explained that the e-portal would enable investigators to monitor their submissions in real-time, improving efficiency and harmonising processes across the country.
In a goodwill message, Dr. Collins Mitambo of the Gates Foundation emphasised the importance of strong regulatory and ethical systems in driving innovation and trust in clinical research. He noted that the optimisation initiative would support the capacity building of regulatory bodies, ethics committees, and research institutions in Nigeria.