Nigerian Government has mapped out blue print for establishing six technology innovation hubs in all the geo political zones of the country, with the aim of producing made in Nigeria products of global standards.
The Minister of Science, Technology and innovation Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu stated this during a courtesy call on the Governor of Kano state, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at Government House Kano.
He said the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari had planned to established Northwest Technology and Innovation hub in Kano, describing the state as one of the commercial centre of the nation.
The minister said that the objectives of his visit to Kano was to sensitise and interact with university communities and relevant stakeholders in the zone to achieve the set goals.
Dr Ogbonnaya Onu decried the manner at which research findings in the country have remained in the shelves and laboratories and not been put to use as the various stakeholders work in isolation.
“We have also seen that our research institutes, agencies, universities, polytechnics carry out research on their own without interactions between them. So, we are out to promote that interaction between the stakeholders as well as the governments and industries.
Let the research carried out in the research institutes be driven by the need of the industries. By the time that is done, industries will be willing to commercialize and convert such findings into products and services”
“For that reason, we want to establish six technology and innovation centers for global competitiveness in the six geopolitical zones with that of the Northwest in Kano State”
“With this, SMEs will spring up in the country, they will grow into medium scale and large scale and through that eradicate poverty in the country,” said the Minister.
Governor Ganduje said technology and innovation centre are the surest ways of turning the large population in Nigeria into an asset.
“Kano State is the most populous state with highest number of youths and a commercial nerve centre of Nigeria and some West African countries. By implication, we have the highest number of youths in the country. So we are vulnerable if we don’t make our population a quality and an asset instead it will become a liability”
He commended the Minister for selecting Kano State as the location for establishing the hub for the North West geopolitical zones.
The minister held a meeting with the Vice Chancellors of Bayero University Kano, Kano University of science and technology and North West University, at the Senate building of Bayero University Kano.
Dominica Nwabufo
