The National Center for Technology Management (NACETEM) based in Osun state, has laid emphasis on Nigeria’s Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy document(Reviewed in 2022) as the basis on which the Nigerian economy can be diversified that the country can be less dependent on oil revenue.
The overseeing director-general of the agency, John Akintayo Omimakinde, stated this on Wednesday in his address during the ‘NACETEM Day’ at the ongoing STI Exposition in Abuja with the theme “ Actualising Effective Diversification of Nigeria’s Economy Using STI”.
He noted that the STI policy if judiciously followed will provide solutions to Nigeria’s quest for local production that will lead to economic growth and commercialisation of Nigeria’s products for global competitiveness.
He said “ NACETEM as a foremost knowledge support and policy research institution in the country, is convinced that the current STI policy is a document that can put us in the direction to go. All we need to achieve sustainable development and Diversification of Nigeria’s economy is contained therein, but it appears we have not fully own it and deploy it appropriately. This has to change as implementing the STI policy as reviewed in 2022 will set Nigeria on the path to wealth.”
Chairman of NACETEM governing Board, Haaatrup Adewale Olatunji, in his address said that Nigeria must I more in STI, because “ it is an enabler of rapid growth and development.” He added that deploying STI to other sectors “will not only open up diverse opportunities for Nigerians in terms of employment but also boost the economy as more revenues will be generated from other areas of the economy”.
In her remarks, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation, Monilola Udoh, called on all the agencies under the Ministry to collaborate and coordinate their efforts to produce materials of commercial value even as she advised against duplication of research products in order to avoid human resource wastage.
She added that Nigeria is blessed abundantly with the resources to that will put her in the global map of Industrialised nations, stressing that all that is required is the determination and patriotism to harness the resources for national development.
