Academia Should Be Centre For Technology Research – Expert

High production cost which has become a nightmare to most manufacturing companies in their bid to remain afloat in Nigeria can be drastically reduced if a new partnership in the production chain that lays emphasis on science and technology is adopted.

The new concept, which intends to replace or modernize the Public Private Partnership (PPP) that is in vogue with Academia Public Private Partnership (APPP) posits research through science and technology as the bedrock of manufacturing.

General Manager of Danelec Limited, Engineer Giandomenico Massari,  proposed the concept at the 2010 International Power Roundtable held in Port Harcourt.

Apart from reducing the high cost of production, he said the concept would guarantee high standard of manufactured goods.

In his paper, “Enhancing the Nigerian Manufacturing With Synergy Among the Stakeholder: The Experience of Local Transformer Manufacturing Industry,” the engineering expert, who was a resource speaker at the event said the private sector represented by the manufacturers need not involve in extraordinary costs.

Instead, he said the partnership or interaction should allow the academia to be the centre for technology research.

“Academia offers financial benefits to the industry, bringing about low investment, high standard in technology and high competitiveness in both domestic and international markets,” he said.

On the role of government in the synergy, he said it will play the role of facilitating  through policy and assistance, the in-coming investors and settlement of factories.

Massari regretted that Nigeria has not followed this pathway but has rather sustained trading than manufacturing, thereby leading the country as a dumping ground for numerous sub-standard products.

On how Danelec benefited from the concept, Massari explained that as much as possible, most of the components and materials are sourced in Nigeria local content law. He said this is facilitated through established contact and synergy with some Nigeria universities in engineering  faculties so as to develop and enhance the existing technology to a higher grade.

At government level, he said, “we are trying to establish a relationship with government at the federal and state levels in order to achieve a sort of partnership for mutual benefit.”

The company, which specialises in manufacturing transformers, he disclosed, partners with prone to receive from universities and polytechnics to give them training and skills on the process to manufacture transformers.

“This is a practical application of the model proffered before on APP programme. We expect that this will stimulate the interest of the various stakeholders,” he remarked.

Chris Oluoh