The Ambassador of Nigeria to Jordan, His Excellency Faruk Yabo has lauded the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for the speedy implementation of the recent agreement between Nigeria and Jordan on technology transfer, training, food security and agricultural mechanisation.
Speaking during an official visit to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, Yabo commended the agency’s quick response under the leadership of its executive vice chairman, Prof. Mohammed Haruna, saying the partnership signed between the agency and the Gheras, Decapolis and Epsilon Group, Hashemite both institutions in Jordan, is already yielding tangible results.
Yabo said since his sojourn as Nigeria’s envoy to Jordan, NASENI’s EVC has been distinct from so many other personalities back home that he had worked with as an ambassador.
“Of all the collaborations, only that which has materialised with speed is NASENI’s.”
Earlier in the month, the Federal Government through NASENI signed a MoU with Epsilon Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on education and training development to establish technology transfer that would enable NASENI, through the implementation of CertVeri System, to offer state-of-the-art online instantaneous certificates verification to beneficiaries. The system will enable NASENI to help different entities (ministries, embassies, universities, educational entities and some other government departments, etc.) to use CertVeri System as a one-stop station to digitally display their certificates for authentication whenever it is required.
The MoU that NASENI signed with the Decapolis on food and agriculture traceability technology solution will enable Nigeria to exploit the Decapolis Food Guard platform to certify the safety and quality of Nigerian food and agriculture products and improve the efficiency of production and farming operations.
The NASENI deal with the Jordan organisations was aimed at creating new economic development paths for Nigeria’s industrialisation which had been the focus and commitment of the agency.
According to the EVC, NASENI is working with Gheras, Decapolis and Epsilon Group, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the areas of technology transfer, domestication of education and training development and on food/agriculture traceability technology solutions.
Earlier in his remarks, Haruna, however, said it was the commitment, hard work, transformational zeal of the Nigerian envoy to Jordan to see how the structures of Nigeria’s economic system back home would prosper that made the signing of the MoU possible.
He said the ambassador was able to look inwards and found veritable areas of collaboration between Nigeria and Jordan, especially in the educational system and agriculture, those areas he knew would benefit the two countries and within the mandate of NASENI.
Haruna explained that the team was on familiarisation visit to the agency and also for the technical assessment concerning the implementation of the two key projects contained in the MoU to have them domesticated in Nigeria. “The collaboration will revolutionize how we do agriculture and technology in the country. The MoU is not a regular one, the implementation has started in Nigeria with their visit,” said the EVC.
Responding, Yabo said that the mandate given to him by President Muhammadu Buhari in Jordan was to make sure that Nigeria entered into bilateral relations with institutions from Nigeria and Jordan.
The ambassador noted that Nigeria has strong military collaboration with Jordan, adding that the model in Jordan could work in Nigeria, as Jordan is uniquely located and able to maintain relations with neighbouring countries despite the crisis surrounding the country.
A statement by NASENI’s chief information officer, Chinyere Amalu Ekwuazi, said Yabo advised the government that “only technology can make Nigeria catch up with development around the world and the reason for Nigeria’s ongoing collaboration with Jordan”.
Also in his response, chief executive officer, Epsilon, education and training development, Mr. Joudi Sa’id, said it was his first time meeting a hardworking ambassador who was ready to establish a working relationship with Jordan. “We are trying to do something for our countries and I believe we will work together to achieve this,” he added.
