News

Coverage and recognition that speak to why LabEquipment NG exists — and where it fits in Nigeria's push for shared, functional research infrastructure.

September 2026

NBRDA approves onboarding of its scientific equipment onto the national equipment database

During a courtesy visit by a seven-member delegation of the American Chemical Society Nigeria International Chemical Sciences Chapter, led by its Chair and project lead Dr. Edu Inam, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, Director-General/CEO of the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA), approved the onboarding of scientific equipment across NBRDA onto LabEquipment NG. The two sides also discussed the Revised National Biotechnology Policy, which shifts emphasis from basic laboratory research towards commercialisation and technology transfer, and the opportunities it opens for researchers in chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, environmental and materials science. Bringing a national agency's facilities into the directory makes more of Nigeria's existing research infrastructure visible and accessible to the researchers who need it.

“Collaboration is how we turn scientific infrastructure into scientific impact.”

— Dr. Edu Inam, Chair, ACS Nigeria International Chemical Sciences Chapter

Dr. Edu Inam with Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, Director-General/CEO of NBRDA, during the courtesy visit.

Dr. Edu Inam and Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha.

The ACS Nigeria delegation with the NBRDA Director-General.

Exchange of an NBRDA publication during the visit.

Sources: LinkedIn

July 2026

Schlumberger Foundation honours project lead Dr. Edu Inam with the 2026 Faculty for the Future Impact Prize

The Schlumberger Foundation named Dr. Edu Inam of the University of Uyo — who leads LabEquipment NG — among nine recipients of the 2026 Faculty for the Future Impact Prize, which recognises Fellows turning their scientific expertise into initiatives with wider impact. The project it cites, "Scaling a Research Equipment Database for Equitable Access in Nigeria", is this directory. The nine winners were chosen from 156 applications across 61 countries.

“The Impact Prize allows us to recognize this leadership, connect it across the fellowship and help it travel further.”

— Capella Festa, President of the Schlumberger Foundation

Sources: Faculty for the Future Zawya

February 2026

TETFund inaugurates committee on equipping multipurpose laboratories in tertiary institutions

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund inaugurated a seven-member advisory committee, chaired by Dr. Chris Maiyaki, to guide the design, equipment specification, deployment, and sustainable management of six zonal multipurpose research laboratories. Announcing it, Executive Secretary Arc. Sonny Echono pointed to a national survey that found the same problems LabEquipment NG was built to address.

“The survey revealed significant gaps, including duplication of equipment within the same institutions, limited inter-faculty collaboration, outdated facilities and underutilised equipment.”

“A substantial portion of research grants is often spent on procuring laboratory equipment and consumables — a trend that reflects systemic deficiencies in shared, functional and well-maintained research facilities in beneficiary institutions.”

— Arc. Sonny Echono, TETFund Executive Secretary (as reported)

Sources: TETFund Voice of Nigeria Nigerian Tribune

Where LabEquipment NG fits

LabEquipment NG is a national directory of the scientific and technical equipment Nigeria's institutions already own — most of it invisible today, even to the institutions that bought it. Making it findable and shareable means less duplication, less idle capacity, and more research getting done.

That lines up with the wider national push: as TETFund builds new shared multipurpose laboratories, we make the equipment already spread across 500+ institutions visible — the same aim, from the other direction.

We're a research initiative from ICEESR, University of Uyo, built with NWISTEM and supported by the Schlumberger Foundation — not a government project, but working toward the same outcome.

Browse the directory List your institution's equipment