Establishment of Technology Innovation Centers Move Nigeria from resource to knowledge-based – Minister

By Abdullahi Kano

The federal government says the establishment of Technology Innovation Centers will pave the way to ensuring that products and services in Nigeria compete with their counterparts across the world.

The minister of Science Technology and Innovation Senator Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora stated this during the Northwest Dialogue on the Establishment and Implementation held in Kano.

Represented by Senior Special Assistant Technical to the minister, who Doubles as the Director Chemical Technology Department Mr. Mej Bassey said the objective of the Technology and Innovation Centers was to ensure that Nigerian products compete with global products.

He said  Technology and Innovation in the socio-economic development of Nigeria play a significant role in moving Nigeria from a resource to a knowledge-based economy aimed at achieving the set objectives.

“It is the vision of Nigeria under the 2022 STI Policy  to have a large, strong, diversified, sustainable, and competitive economy that effectively harnesses the talents and energies of its people and responsibly exploits its natural endowments to guarantee a high standard of living and quality of life for its citizens by 2030 with the mission of harnessing, developing and utilizing STI to build a large, strong, diversified, sustainable and competitive economy that guarantees a high standard of living and quality of life for its citizens”

Senator Adeleke Olurunnimbe Noted that dialogue meetings would provide an enabling environment for the Emergence of Tech Giants, Increase in the performance of Researchers, Peer Review of Researchers for effectiveness, Learning of new approaches to research through interaction, and increase in Patents among others.

In a remark, the kano state commissioner for science and technology Alhaji Idris Garba Unguwan Rimi, represented by the permanent secretary of the ministry  Dr. Binta Umar said the kano state government was ready to collaborate efforts in the promotion of local content.

“Kano state government has built 16 units of incubation centers in the state aimed at promoting local and indigenous content geared towards enhancing the economic development of the Nation.

The workshop was attended by senior officials of the ministry and stakeholders