By Dwelleth Morountodun
The Federal Government over the weekend, said it will utilize technology incubation through incubation centres spread across the country to train and empower new entrepreneurs through technological start-up.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu disclosed this in a speech delivered at the summit on: ‘Leveraging the digital economy for trade investment’ in Abuja at the weekend.
According to him, there is encouraging result on this effort as some of these start-ups have continued to grow into large enterprises over the years.
He said: “We have laid the foundation to help us get a new generation of entrepreneurs and business men and women that will use technologies developed in Nigeria, to compete favourably within the comity of the nations.’’
Onu, said the ministry is vigorously commercialising research results by converting them into products and services for the market place.
He therefore appealed to the organised private sector to key into commercialisation of research results.
While saying that Nigeria lost out in the last three industrial revolutions, Onu stressed the need for Nigeria to participate fully in the fourth Industrial Revolution.
“We are employing science, technology and innovation to accelerate economic growth, in a way to achieve increased productivity, competiveness, job and wealth creation, poverty reduction in an effort to achieve the happiness of Nigerians.” he added.
The ministry, Onu added has in the past four years developed five policies to enable Nigeria attain new development models induced by the new digital economy and remain competitive.
The policies are: Science, Technology and Innovation Roadmap 2017-2030, the National Strategies for Competiveness in Raw Materials and Products Development in Nigeria, the Executive Order 5, Nigerian Policy on Leather and Leather Products and the recent National Policy on the use of Methanol Value Chain in Nigeria.
He said the national strategy is helping Nigeria to reduce importation of goods and services into the country.
“The Executive Order is a revolutionary document that will help Nigeria develop appropriate technologies to solve national problems as well as encourage the use local content.’’
“We are vigorously pursuing commercialization of research results so that they can be converted into products and services that would be available in the market place.’’ he added.
“We therefore must do everything that is necessary to participate in the 4th fourth industrial Revolution.’’ he said.