NIGERIAN President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the change of name of Ministry of Science and Technology to Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
This was announced by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Ogbonnaya Onu during a press briefing on Friday in Abuja.
According to Onu, the Federal Executive Council in 2017 had approved the National Science, Technology and Innovation Roadmap (NSTIR 2017-2030), which would ease the economic growth and global competitiveness of the country, making it into a nation of innovators.
“This document laid out a core policy for driving positive socio-economic outcomes through science, technology and innovation in all activities of the economy,’’ he said.
He said this called for a change in the Ministry’s name, and the new development would require the ministry to drive the Innovation Agenda by embarking on a branding campaign based on its expected mandate to ensure productivity and economic growth.
The Minister said the change would help introduce an industry and service demand-driven angle into Research and Development to enhance rapid commercialisation and improved global competitiveness.
“We all know that there has been a missing link with the statutory responsibility of the ministry. This decision by the President will ensure that the missing link will be adequately addressed,” he said.
He said Nigeria would witness lasting indigenous industrialisation with an adequate platform for more productivity.
“Immediately we are able to commercialise Research and Development breakthroughs, the nation’s global competitiveness ranking will improve tremendously with varying degrees of development that are sustainable.
“These include a robust STI ecosystem that will accommodate continuous system improvement, product quality enhancement and guaranteed standardisation of ‘Made-In-Nigeria’ goods and services,’’ he said.
The Ministry was created in 1980 to enhance the development of Science, Technology and Innovation and hasten the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
There are seventeen agencies under the ministry, including The Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), The Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT), Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis and Onchocerciasis (NITR), National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), National Centre For Technology Management (NACETEM), National Office For Technology Acquisition And Promotion (NOTAP), Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), National Space Research & Development Agency (NARSDA), Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC).
Others are The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBBRI), National Institute of Leather Science and Technology (NILEST), National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO), Project Development Institute (PRODA), Federal Institute of Industrial Research, (FIIRO) National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.