Nigeria To Fully Implement Executive Order For Tech Advancement

The Nigerian government has expressed readiness to implement the Executive Order No 5 that will propel the country to new heights of innovation and technological advancement.

Signed in 2018, the Presidential Executive Order No. 5 is a transformative policy designed to drive innovation, promote science and technology, and catalyse Nigeria’s economic diversification, technological advancement, promotion of domestic and foreign investments. It will also reduce dependence on foreign goods and the strain on the Naira, facilitate massive job creation and industrial growth.

The Minister of innovation, Science and Technoloy, Uche Nnaji while speaking with Journalists in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital said that the order aligns with the 8-point Renewed Hope Agenda of President, Bola Tinubu.

Nnaji said; ”Nigeria is rich in human and largely unexplored natural resources. Our predominantly youthful population is not only the largest in Africa but also ranks among the largest globally. Geographically, our country stands at Africa’s heart.”

The Minister said that despite the rich natural resources that Nigeria posses, youth unemployment remains a challenge due to massive importation of products and services.

“The Presidential Executive Order No. 5 addresses these challenges by providing support for Made-in-Nigeria Goods and Services, the development of homegrown capability, and the capacity to maintain, redesign, reproduce, rededicate, and duplicate any infrastructure built in Nigeria for self-reliance and development” he said.

“The order also seeks to closely monitor and promote the capacity of Nigerian professionals and contractors in Science, Engineering, and Technological programs to compete with their counterparts globally” Nnaji stressed.
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The Minister listed his priority focus to include the Methanol Fuel Technology Programme which seeks to harness the potential of methanol as a clean and sustainable energy source, National Strategy for Competitiveness in Raw Materials and Products Development, the National Leather and Leather Products Policy, National Policy on Welding and Related Fields, creation of technology and Innovation Centres among others.

Nnaji further said that the full Implementation of the Executive Order would bolster the economy, create jobs, reduce poverty, and usher in a brighter future for Nigeria.

He promised that in the coming weeks, the ministry would be releasing a more detailed road map and work plan to achieve these, While creating wealth for millions of Nigerians.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. James Sule, said that the Ministry would continue to collaborate with other Ministries, Agencies and the Media towards the implementation of Executive Order No. 05.

Mercy Chukwudiebere