NACETEM emphasizes significance of data in national development

The Director-General of the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), Dr Olusola Odusanya, has stressed that leveraging data to make informed decisions can be a game-changer for the Nigeria’s sustainable economic growth.

Odusanya, who spoke on the side-line of a workshop with the theme: “Measuring national development”, stated that this was particularly relevant when it’s related to Science, Technology and Innovation, job creation, technology infusion, and employment generation, among others.

He said the workshop was part of efforts to ensure that Nigeria began to groom knowledgeable leaders who would take major decisions based on available data.

The director-general said NACETEM hosted the workshop in collaboration with the AU Development Agency’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development’s request that African nations should collect data on science and technology indicators.

He said Nigeria was at the forefront of the idea to marshal information that development planners could use to assist in national development.

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Odusanya added that NACETEM would support government to introduce new knowledge into the economy that would drive development and offer new opportunities for Nigerians.

“This is about growing the economy; it is not an extractive ideology, but one of growth and development based on information.

Mr Bishop Ohioma, Assistant Director at the National Bureau of Statistics said Nigeria would not achieve much in the global community without data.

“Data is at the core of national planning and development. We are collaborating with NACETEM because as custodian of data, we cannot drive development alone,’’ Ohioma said.