FG, Czech Republic sign Delta-2 projects pact

On Dec 20, 2023

The National Agency for Science and Technology Infrastructure (NASENI) and the Technology Agency of Czech Republic (TACR) have signed a $21.7 million bilateral implementation agreement for Delta-2 projects.

The bilateral collaboration involves eleven firms in Nigeria as beneficiaries. The Nigerian beneficiary companies are expected to come up with various products and services to be injected into the Nigeria economy.

The 11 projects to be funded in this Phase of Delta-2 all involve partnerships between Nigerian & Czech organisations, and feature projects ranging from bioethanol production to aeroponics farming, smart irrigation, waste conversion, and legal research software.#ANewNASENI pic.twitter.com/6H9QQDfprU

— NASENI (@NASENIHQ) December 18, 2023

The Delta-2 programme is a bilateral Co-funding R&D Project under the agreement and the first major step toward achieving the goals of the bilateral cooperation and practical steps toward diversifying the nation’s economy.

The programme is being implemented by the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer/Information Exchange (PICTT).

The project was launched in 2001, while the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Government of Nigeria and Czech Republic on technology transfer was signed in 2014 as a way of stimulating economic diversification in Nigeria through joint research and developments (R&Ds) projects in three focus areas like agriculture, mining and general manufacturing for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Honored to be a special guest at the kick-off of the Delta-2 Program—a bilateral collaboration between Nigeria and the Czech Republic.

The partnership between NASENI and the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TACR) is poised to fund innovative projects in key areas.

This… pic.twitter.com/cnu8zPFlgQ

— Uche Geoffrey Nnaji (@U_GeoffreyNnaji) December 18, 2023

Speaking at the signing of the agreement, in Abuja, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, stated that out of the $21.7 million set aside to finance the selected projects, TACR is contributing $11.7 million, while NASENI is contributing $10 million.

Halilu noted that the Delta-2 project is very important, because the first letter he got from the President was to give an update and a way forward on the programme.

He stressed that the Delta-2 programme was another manifestation of NASENI’s commitment to fulfilling its mandate of transforming Nigeria’s technology and innovation landscape, through sustained focus on its 3Cs principles of Collaboration, Creation and Commercialization.

The EVC/CEO reiterated that for every money that NASENI invests into this phase of the Delta-2 programme, to develop new projects and products, the agency will realise almost swum amount in commercial returns, in addition to job creation opportunities, capacity building, and technology transfer.

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“That is what NASENI stands for; leveraging technology and talent to deliver returns that benefit Nigeria on multiple levels,” Halilu said while congratulating the selected beneficiaries of the projects and urged them not to take the opportunity for granted, noting that the funds would be deployed with a sense of service and responsibility.

On his part, the Chairman of the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on Technology Transfer/Information Exchange on Delta-2 Projects, Dr Dahiru Mohammed, said the programme was launched on May 18, 2022, with 285 proposals received from various companies registered in Nigeria.

He stated that the evaluation of the proposals was carried out diligently by members of the Assessment Committee who, he said, were selected from the Nigerian Academy of Science, Nigerian Academy of Engineering (as research experts) and the Nigeria-Czech Republic Trade and Investment Council (NCTIC).