Nigeria and Indonesia have firmed up their technology transfer partnership to allow them to borrow each other’s technology to boost their sectoral economic development.
In his remarks, when he received the Indonesia Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Usra Hendra Harahap, in Abuja, the executive vice chairman of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Prof. Mohammed Haruna, said the agency strengthening the partnership on behalf of the Nigerian government aims to exchange engineering principles to create jobs, address poverty in Nigeria and also empower small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for Nigeria to manufacture products that can compete at local and foreign markets.
The NASENI boss, who reeled out the agency’s areas of intervention and interest, said the various areas of interest for Nigeria include aircraft design, spare parts production, maintenance, repairs, mechanised agriculture, military vehicles, weaponry and ammunition, military vessels.
Haruna traced the longstanding relationship between both nations to the era before the establishment of NASENI in 1992, which was modelled after Indonesia’s PT. PINDAD, adding the agency has also benefited a lot from Indonesia’s technological know-how.
According to him, NASENI’s Small Hydro Power (SHP) turbine was reverse-engineered from the one procured from Indonesia after the initial training of NASENI engineers by Indonesia on manufacturing of the cross-flow turbine, which is currently in use at some of Nigeria dams for the generation of power, especially in the rural areas.
Underscoring the importance of the partnership, Haruna highlighted that President Muhammadu Buhari, the chairman of the NASENI governing board, has mandated the agency to seek collaboration in technology transfer on manufacturing and domestication of armoured personnel carriers from Indonesia and other equipment needed for the manufacturing of fertiliser, aircraft, mechanised agriculture and irrigation system.
He added that with the collaboration, Indonesia will help Nigeria acquire many more technologies for the development of Nigeria’s economy, especially in the agricultural sector.
Earlier in his remarks, Harahap stated that his country’s embassy received an update of the proposal from PT. PINDAD Indonesia for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between PT. PINDAD and NASENI in Rural Multipurpose Mechanical Tools Projects (AMDESS) to help Nigerian farmers after the EVC’s last visit to the embassy.
He further explained that with the transfer of technology agreement between both nations through NASENI – especially in agriculture – Nigerian farmers will improve [their approach to] mechanised agriculture with AMDESS to enable them to overcome inequality and develop the potential that exists in the country to create economic resilience.
“In Indonesia, this particular vehicle is popular to help farmers in growing their plantation and support harvest management. The vehicle can easily be converted because it is equipped with devices that can transmit power from the car to other machines,” he said.
The envoy listed other areas that both countries could work together include coal fertilizer project which aimed at helping local farmers to increase the productivity of various types of plants using coal-based fertiliser production technique; supply of finished products and semi-finished products from SOEs to NASENI and joint development of products, as well as the transfer of technology etc.
