By Chioma Obinna

To improve the governance of health research in Nigeria, the Federal Government on Friday in Lagos unveiled the National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC) Electronic Portal.

NHREC e-portal unveiled by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, is designed to streamline and modernise the ethical review and approval process for health research proposals.

The National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC) in Nigeria, in partnership with Public Health Information, Surveillance Solutions and Systems (PHIS3) as a technical partner, developed the electronic portal and the website with support from the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister said the portal would drive efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the country’s health research framework.

Describing it as a “remarkable milestone”, Alausa commended them for their assistance in developing the platform.

“The electronic platform is more than just a technological tool; it is a commitment to integrity and accountability in health research.”

He said the platform aligns with global standards and its focus on protecting participants’ rights, dignity, and safety.
The e-portal is designed to centralise and simplify the submission process for research proposals, reducing delays and eliminating redundancies.

Continuing, he stated that the latest innovation would enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global health research arena, paving the way for data-driven innovation and advancements in clinical practice.

Earlier, the Associate Director of Science at the U.S. CDC, Dr Adeola Adeyeye who commended the swift development of the platform within six weeks, noted the smooth collaboration between the Nigerian government and international partners.

She said the platform would significantly shorten approval timelines, fostering local and international research partnerships.

The platform’s launch builds on the success of the National Strategic Meeting on Health Research Development and Innovation held earlier this year, further underscoring the government’s commitment to research-driven healthcare improvements.

Before now, the submission of research protocols to NHREC was done manually and this method caused inefficiencies, delays, and low visibility as concerns progress made by researchers on their submitted documents.

The new e-portal will eliminate such issues and reduce the use of papers, as well as streamline the protocol submission, review, and approval processes.

On his part, the Lagos State’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who endorsed it, said it will make medical research as easy as running a business.

“It’s designed to protect participants’ rights and intellectual property while still speeding things up for teachers,” he added.

Also, the Project Director at PHIS3, Daro Onimode, who listed the benefits of the platform, recalled that before, researchers had to carry around stacks of paper documents to get approvals.

“If you lived in a remote area, forget about it—it was a nightmare. Now, everything is digital. Researchers just need to fill in mandatory fields, hit submit, and their proposals are automatically sent to reviewers.”

He gave an example of researchers in Maiduguri, who used to send their documents to Lagos for approval. Now, they can do it online in real-time.”

Responding to questions from the audience, a member of NHREC, Professor Oliver Ezechi, explained that the portal was for researchers.

He said the old ways of doing things raised security concerns, adding that things would be better done with the new platform and research outcomes would be safer.

“Before now, the submission process in NHREC is purely manual. It goes through email, and we know the audience is not secure. It’s open when you submit protocols.

“Some of us usually are worried when you send your protocol via Yahoo Mail or any other platform. We are worried about intellectual property. Our worries are over as we now have a secured e-platform.”