FG Vows To Launch Made-In-Nigeria Products

The Federal government has vowed never to rest on its oars until made-in-Nigeria products are launched in the global market within the next five years.

Director – General / Chief Executive Officer (CEO), National Office For Technology Acquisition And Promotion (NOTAP), Abuja , a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Umar Bindir said the nation has all it takes to achieve that feat.

According to him, it is against the background of bridging the existing gap between education, industry, and research institutions in the country with a view to developing the requisite infrastructure through a genuine process of information sharing that government decided to put in place agencies as NOTAP .

Speaking Monday in Enugu during the opening ceremony of a 3- Day workshop organised by NOTAP, Abuja, in collaboration with African Youth Rehabilitation Initiative (AYRI), for technologists, scientists, researchers, academia, bankers, policy makers, inventors, artisans among others for the South East zone, Dr. Bindir, regretted that 50 years after Nigeria attained her independence, the nation was yet to launch any of her indigenous products in the global market, describing the situation as unacceptable.

His words: “NOTAP is planning to ensure that Nigeria launches a product that would be accepted globally in the next 5 to 10 years. That is our target and we are working towards that despite the myriads of challenges confronting the nation’s technological sector. We will continue to strive in realizsing her dream of becoming one of the countries with the topmost economies by 2020″.

He, however, stated that his office, remained very critical in the social and economic affairs of the nation especially as it concerns technological advancement, stressing that Nigeria as a nation had for long realised the role of technology in nation building hence it established various institutions to ensure development of appropriate technology through scientific research as well as innovative activities.

The NOTAP boss regretted that much of what had been developed from the institutions had not achieved the desired goals of ensuring a sustainable industrial growth and development of the nation.

He, therefore, called on all stakeholders in the technology business to start showing serious commitment in the development of science and technology for the interest of the Nigeria, pointing out that the lack of synergy within the science, education, engineering technology and innovation SETI system has done more harm than good to the country.

Dr. Bindir also enjoined participants at the workshop with the theme: “Developing Indigenous Technology for Youth Empowerment, Employment Generation and Wealth Creation” to undertake critical analysis of all the challenges militating against the emergence of the nation as the twentieth most industrialised nations of the world by the year 2020 and come up with pragmatic steps and blue prints for the actualisation of the present administration’s 7-point agenda as well as vision 2020 using science and technology.

Said the NOTAP DG: “the forum is also scheduled for all stake holders to review, concretise as well as chart an exit path from the apparent national technology inhibiting trap, pointing out that innovators and researchers are expected to show-case their products to entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, captains of industries, among others during the three day event taking place at the Hotel Presidential in the state capital.

Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State and his Anambra State counterpart, Peter Obi, who spoke through their commissioners for science and technology had during the ceremony, hailed the activities of NOTAP, admitting that no nation of the world including Nigeria could make any serious headway without the development of indigenous technology.