The Federal Government has said the current fourth industrial revolution gives Nigeria as a country an opportunity to catch up with the rest of the world on technological advancement and breakthroughs and there is no course for worry to have missed out on the earlier ones.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, in his keynote at the validation workshop on the Draft Revised 2022 National Science, Technology and Innovation(STI) Policy on Thursday in Abuja said the government aim to get involved so that the country will continue to narrow the gap between Nigeria and the technologically developed countries of the world.
Onu maintained that there are emerging technologies that provide Nigeria with this opportunity and such technologies include; advanced manufacturing, nanotechnology, big data, new engineering materials, block-chain, machine learning, robotics and artificial intelligence.
“This explains why the National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy must be continuously updated to accommodate these changes. The Policy is to prepare our dear nation both for today and the future.
“This is very important because the immediate past Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017-2020 recognised the need to leverage STI in building a knowledge-based economy.
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“In addition, it directed that science and technology should be effectively harnessed to drive national competitiveness, productivity and economic activities in all sectors. Similarly, the current National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2025 recognises that Nigeria’s “National strategy in the medium term is to pursue an aggressive technology and innovation strategy to unlock the potential of non-oil sectors competitiveness.
“The journey to revise the National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy started in 2019. A number of committees were set up, including an Inter-Ministerial Committee.
“We thank the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for their contribution. We also had a Task Team, comprising some of our best intellectuals taken from our leading Academies to look at the document.
“We thank all the stakeholders including our Universities, Polytechnics, State Governments, Research Institutes, industrial laboratories, and the Organised Private Sector (OPS) who have made very useful contributions as inputs in preparing the document that is now before you.
“This Validation Workshop will help us to critically examine this document, and prepare a final Revised 2022 National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy that will be sent to the Federal Executive Council for its consideration and approval.
“I am happy that the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (FMSTI) now has additional five policies approved by the Federal Executive Council. These additional policies include; the Science, Technology and Innovation Roadmap (2017-2030); the National Strategy for Competitiveness in Raw Materials and Products Development in Nigeria; the Presidential Executive Order No. 5; the Leather and Leather Products Policy; the Methanol Fuel Production Technology Policy.
“All these policies have helped the nation to move our economy from depending entirely on commodities to depend on knowledge, that is innovation-driven. Our professionals, contractors and manufacturers are given preference in procurement by the Federal Government.
“Gradually, many Nigerians are buying made in Nigeria products. Our economy is now diversified and we are all working very hard to deepen the diversification. Nigeria is changing in a positive way. Good things are happening in Nigeria.
Similarly, the Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi maintained that it is a statement of fact that Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) activities are increasingly important in achieving economic sustainability, and governments are emphasising more on the need for sound and concerted STI policies that will contribute to achieving many targets of the SDGs.
He further pointed out that consequently, the Federal Government’s National Development Plan (2021-2025) recognizes the need to leverage Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) to build a knowledge-based economy that is global and competitive.
“On the premise of the foregoing and given the fact that STl is a cross-cutting and multi-sectoral issue, the Ministry constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee comprising all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as other stakeholders including Development Partners like UNESCO to review the extant 2012 STI Policy in line with the current realities of Nigeria’s economy, STISA 2025, Africa Agenda 2063 as well as Sustainable Development Goals.
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