The Federal Government says it will roll out an electronic portal for the submission and approval of health research proposals, aimed at improving transparency and efficiency in the country’s research ecosystem.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, made this known on Thursday during a two-day workshop on the Electronic Portal Protocol Management System and National Ethics Standardisation Sensitisation, held in Abuja.
Salako, who was represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr. Kamil Shotirere, said the digital platform was undergoing testing and would be ready for full deployment by the end of 2025, with proposal submissions expected to start earlier.
“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,” he said.
Ethical review process
He added that the workshop was crucial in streamlining and strengthening the country’s research ethics review process.
“The committee will make sure that every proposal that is submitted for research passes through the necessary procedure, ensure the research is done properly, and ensure researchers are ethical about the research.
“As a researcher anywhere, you can just log into the portal, make your submission, and if there are fees to be paid for review, you pay it, fulfil all requirements, make all the attachments that are needed, submit it, and they will allocate it to the reviewer.
”The reviewer goes through it, asks questions, and sends you feedback.”
Salako emphasised the vital role of the NHREC in upholding ethical standards in clinical research involving human participants.
He said the training would empower members of the committee to better enforce ethical guidelines, ensuring that all research conducted within Nigeria meets required ethical benchmarks.
Limited funding support
Dr. Lolade Adeyemi, Special Adviser to the Minister of State for Health on Research and Innovation, reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting research financially, despite current limitations in funding.
She noted that international organisations were already backing the initiative.
“So once the international community sees that we’re doing this, they will see that this is what they want to partner with, and the government has to provide more funding, and they’re doing that.
“If it has to be sustainable, maybe some things have to be paid for.
“We are also trying to have conversations about charging a nominal fee, so we have to find mechanisms of sustainability to be able to pay for this,” she said.
Adeyemi mentioned the Gates Foundation and the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Centre as current supporters of the workshop.
Infrastructural challenges
Prof. Richard Adegbola, Chairman of NHREC, highlighted infrastructure deficiencies as a major obstacle to efficient research ethics review in Nigeria.
He pointed out the inefficiencies in how reports are currently submitted, reviewed, and returned, which often causes delays and jeopardises funding for researchers.
“What the e-portal will do is the investigator will be able to monitor his or her submission in real-time, you will know whether it’s been accepted, whether the period of review is within the base or the time that they have allocated to it.
“The e-portal is going to improve efficiency but also harmonise how we do things across the country,” he said
Building trust through ethical systems
Dr. Collins Mitambo of the Gates Foundation underlined the critical role of strong ethical and regulatory systems in fostering innovation and public trust in medical research.
“This two-year project reflects a shared commitment to build systems that protect participants, ensure data integrity, and foster public trust.
“The project will ensure the clinical trial review process is efficient, predictable, and transparent,” he said.
Mitambo added that the optimisation project would aid in capacity building for Nigeria’s regulatory bodies, ethics committees, and research institutions.
