By Fortune Abang
The Minister of State, Science and Technology, Sen. Adeleke Mamora, says the ministry remains committed to the use of scientific innovations to drive national growth.
Mamora said this in his address at the inaugural ceremony of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Alliance for Innovation Research (TETFAIR) with the theme: “Translating ideas into innovation, solution and enterprise”, on Wednesday in Abuja.o
The Minister, represented by Mrs Monilola Udoh, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, said TETFAIR was apt, in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s Executive Order Five.
The Executive Order seeks to entrench Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in everyday life to achieve national growth.
“The Executive Order number Five has laid a proper foundation for an industrial, diversified, self-sustaining economy.
“It is a step towards the sustainable path and to a future in which wholesale importation of consumption of foreign technology is reduced.
“It has equally laid the foundation for the provision for development of science and technology in Nigeria.
“Apart from encouraging the teaching of science and technology in all schools, the Federal Government has ensured promotion and support research via creating policies to promote them.
“The transfer of knowledge, skills and solutions in the science and technology fields can have a profound and lasting impact on the development trajectories of nations and peoples.”
He observed that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to countries’ elevation of science and technology innovations globally.
Mamora said more would need to be done through research to enable nations to cope in the post COVID-19 era.
While inaugurating the TETFAIR, Mr Goodluck Opiah, Minister of State for Education, commended the TETFAIR initiative.
According to him, the initiative is capable of generating useful ideas that can drive national growth.
“This initiative can enhance and boost exchange of ideas as well as facilitate effective use of techonlogy-based ideas, knowledge and innovation for education policy formulation and implementation.
“It will, indeed, promote collaboration among MDAs as well as the private sectors in Nigeria by which this sustainable development will be entrenched in all spheres of national architecture.
“It is my belief that this will help in identifying gaps and other challenges as well as proffer solutions on ways to scale up innovations that will unlock rapid and sustainable chains towards current global demands,” Opiah said.
In his remarks, Deji Ige, Communications Advisor of Innov8 Hub said 72 prototypes had so far been developed and ready for commercialisation since inception of the initiative in 2019.
According to him, 150 innovators, inventors and venture creators, including academics and researchers have benefited from mentoring.
“We have been involved in the emergence of 15 solid startups.
“On the backdrop of our impact on innovation ecosystem in Nigeria, the U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken visited Innov8 Hub during his official trip to Nigeria in November, 2021,” Ige said.
For his part, Mr Sonny Echono, Executive Secretary of TETFund described TETFAIR as a programme conducted by TETFund in collaboration with Innov8 Hub.
“The programme is designed to support the advancement of solution-driven research, innovation and sustainable development in Nigeria.
“TETFAIR aims to provide unique opportunities for our academics and researchers in Nigerian Universities to transform their ideas into market-driven solutions, including the development and fabrication of prototypes,” Echono said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)