NASENI, NMDC Sign MoU To Revamp Iron & Steel Sector

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and the National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC) Jos, have signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together to revamp the iron and the steel sector of the country and other allied industries.

Speaking during the signing ceremony in Abuja yesterday, executive vice chairman of NASENI Prof.Mohammed Sani Haruna remarked that Nigeria must revive its iron and steel sector as no meaningful industrialisation efforts could yield fruits without the development of the sector.

The NASENI boss said that to run Nigeria’s industries effectively and to sustain the manufacturing sector locally, Nigeria needs to build most of its machines and equipment locally in order to deepen the impacts of innovations and to make the manufacturing of goods and services become part and parcel of the culture of the citizens.

According to a statement issued by Olusegun Ayeoyenikan, deputy director, Information of NASENI, Prof. Haruna explained that for industrialization to become sustainable in any country, the steel, iron and tools required to build the machines that are needed to sustain both the productive and manufacturing capacities of the country, to a large extent, must be developed locally.

Prof.Haruna said that “without the full participation of NMDC and the metallurgical development subsector of the economy, it is extremely difficult to industrialise Nigeria.”

Speaking further, the Executive Vice Chairman disclosed that the newly signed MoU between NASENI and NMDC was to provide a threshold for the resuscitation of Nigeria’s iron and steel sector and the beginning of the genuine revitalization of Nigeria’s industrial sector.

He said “the NMDC is the real development centre to make our nation economically viable and the MoU between the Centre and NASENI today is to put the sustainable development of the manufacturing industry on the right track”.

Prof. Haruna added that the working collaborations at the instance of the MoU between NASENI and NMDC had been instituted to provide a solid foundation for the steel and iron sector of Nigeria to flourish because the subsector is the very foundation for the manufacturing sector of the country to prosper.

Responding during the signing of the MoU, the director general/CE of NMDC Prof. Linus O.Asukwo, who signed the document on behalf of Centre, thanked the Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI and Management for the leadership in promoting the science, technology and innovation sector of the Nigerian economy.

Contained in the MoU are some of the terms of reference which include; equipment and facilities support in the areas of Metallurgy research & development, Minerals Research & Development, Analytical and Environmental Services and Consultancy services in Metallurgy, Mineral Processing, Analytical and Environmental related issues and Capacity building.

Others include; Equipment and machine design, fabrication, spares and component parts production, Equipment and machinery maintenance, repairs and training, Supply of research equipment and shared facilities, Joint Research & Development and commercial ventures and other areas as may be determined by both parties.

The NMDC Jos was established as a research and development organization with the mandate to carry out research and development activities for the metallurgical and allied industries for the growth of the nation’s solid minerals sector.

On the other hand, NASENI has the mandate of providing research and developmental works in the areas of capital goods, machines and equipment for the purpose of developing a home-grown and home sustained industrial development of the country.