The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has said the Federal Government will forge a strategic alliance with Kano State government to enable critical stakeholders in the development of science, technology and innovation (STI) in the state.
He stated this during a working visit to Bayero University Kano (BUK) on Monday in Kano.
The alliance, will birth an effective coordination so that tertiary academic research institutes could engage the organised private sector (OPS) in the development of abundant agricultural, mineral and human resources in the state.
According to the minister, the FMSTI will work closely with both the government and people of the state in harnessing the power of STI to harvest the abundant resources of the state for the benefit of all.
He said frantic efforts were being made to ensure that the OPS and R&D/academic institutions forge strategic alliances that emphasize more on industry & services demand-driven R&D programmes, projects and activities.
The benefits of the strategic alliance will ensure that scientific research findings in our laboratories can easily be converted into products and services needed in our markets and shops, he pointed out, adding intellectual property could then be protected through patents, with tremendous financial reward for the scientists and institutions involved.
On the recent change of name of the ministry to Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (FMSTI) from the previous Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST), he explained that the FMSTI is now the custodian of innovation development in the country and for continuous quality improvement of existing traditional technologies.
He informed the BUK faculty that Kano State had been selected as the headquarters of the Technology and Innovation Centre for Global Competitiveness (TICGCOM) in the north-west zone of the country.
Earlier, the vice chancellor of Bayero University Kano, Prof. Sagir Abbas enumerated the giant strides of the university in areas of research and innovations and reiterated the commitment of university community to partner FMSTI to achieve the objective of advancing the country technologically.
The project manager for global competitiveness and strategy, Sir Henry Eteama said efforts were ongoing to ensure that scientific research results were not academic but industry driven.
He stressed that government would ensure standardization, quality assessment, and an enabling environment to allow for global recognition of Nigerian products and innovations.
