NACETEM Unveils Advanced STI Indicator Dashboard At Stakeholder Workshop

The National Center for Technology Management (NACETEM), on November 1, hosted a one-day sensitisation workshop aimed at providing an advocacy platform for stakeholders regarding the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Indicator Dashboard Version 1.0 (https://stinigeria.com/sti-indicator/), which it developed for Nigeria.

LEADERSHIP reports that NACETEM is an agency of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.

Addressing stakeholders and participants, the Director General/CEO of NACETEM, Dr. Olushola Odusanya, underscored the significance of a long-standing programme aimed at enabling Nigeria to embrace data-driven decision-making. He highlighted that this initiative was key in enhancing the accessibility and visibility of STI data across the continent, where STI infrastructures can be assessed by researchers (https://stinigeria.com/sti-dir/).

Dr. Olushola highlighted the importance of data for national development, suggesting it could become a key resource for governance. He reaffirmed NACETEM’s commitment to enhancing data accessibility and linking it with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and other organizations. The DG encouraged leaders to leverage these insights for informed decision-making and invited feedback on data collection and archiving strategies. He concluded by officially opening the program and thanking stakeholders for contributing to its success.

NACETEM’s North Central Zonal Coordinator, Mrs. A.O Adeyemi, highlighted the importance of the STI Indicator Dashboard as a crucial tool for informed decision-making and strategic planning. She emphasized the need for all stakeholders, from policymakers to researchers, to understand and leverage the dashboard to enhance their roles and contribute to national goals. She further discussed the dashboard’s significance in evaluating Nigeria’s global standing through research outputs, technological readiness, and scientific advancements.

Also, the head of SPIS NACETEM, Dr. Kazeem Abubakar, in a recent session, delivered a comprehensive presentation on the STI Dashboard, outlining its conceptualisation, development journey, and key features.

He further highlighted significant updates made to the dashboard, particularly the integration of AI to improve predictive capabilities, allowing for data trend projections up to 2026. He emphasised the importance of user feedback for ongoing improvements, aiming to align the platform with global data standards and make it a valuable resource for researchers and policymakers.

Head of Research Department North-East NACETEM, Engineer Chinda Amos, presented on the monitoring and evaluation of the STI Indicator Dashboard project, emphasising the importance of regular assessment for its continued success.

Special Assistant to the DG of NACETEM, Mr Newton Monye, outlined the implementation of robust data privacy protocols to ensure that sensitive information is accessible only to authorized personnel, prioritizing user data protection and transparency. Continuous monitoring, evaluation, and user feedback will be essential in keeping the dashboard updated and relevant. Customization features will allow users to select and compare specific indicators tailored to their research or policy needs, enhancing user-friendliness. The overarching goal of the dashboard is to strengthen connections between academia and industry by identifying technological needs and sharing resources, thereby making research more impactful in real-world applications.

Participants at the well-attended workshop from ICPC, the National Assembly, the Ministry of Finance, NOTAP, NATIP amongst others, commended the team’s efforts but emphasized the need to connect scholars’ research results to practical projects before graduation. They stressed the importance of linking the dashboard to government policies and developmental agenda for the dashboard to make the expected impact in taking socio-economic decisions. Stakeholders equally pushed forward the need for the sustainability and expansion of the R&D data collection done by NACETEM to reflect the Informal sectors and other indicator frameworks such as the Output, Linkages, Enablers and Impact frameworks.

Mr. Newton, speaking on behalf of the Director General, expressed gratitude to all participants for their valuable contributions regarding data privacy, customization, and collaboration, which highlight the dashboard’s transformative potential in the STI ecosystem in Nigeria. He noted that feedback from the audience will be incorporated into future developments and emphasized NACETEM’s need for relevant information and data.

Committed to transparency and adaptability, he announced an upcoming launch of an AI Centre of Excellence. The proposed web application was designed for connecting AI practitioners and experts with the rest of the world’s AI Ecosystem.

Head of Human Resource Management, Mrs Oyekemi Ojukannaiye and Head of Planning, Programming & Linkages, Mrs Okunlola R.O.,
emphasised the importance of transforming shared ideas into actionable steps for the benefit of Nigeria. They expressed gratitude to the audience for their participation and called for collaboration and cooperation moving forward.