Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said in Abuja that Ministry had struck some collaborations in areas that Nigeria had capacity to produce; and is actually producing many products through its agencies.
The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, is working out collaborations to ensure increased use of some research products from its agencies as well as commencement of exportation of such products and breakthroughs in food technology in efforts to raise Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Minister, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said in Abuja that Ministry had struck some collaborations in areas that Nigeria had capacity to produce; and is actually producing many products through its agencies, which when fully commercialised, would create jobs, and help the country defeat poverty.
Notable among these collaborations, is a partnership with the Ministry of Youths and Sports, which resulted in the adoption of locally made and internationally acknowledged sports materials such as footballs, boots and jerseys, produced by agencies under the Ministry, for use in all Nigerian leagues and championships.
Another milestone is the collaboration between one of its agencies, the Federal Institute for Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), with three international companies to commercialise and export Nigerian spices, and ready to use local soups to the United States of America, and other places around the world.
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At the signing of the agreement, as supervised by the Minister, the Director General of FIIRO, Prof. Gloria Elemo, said the ready to use spices and soups, were prepared by the agency, and will yield foreign exchange for the country, and as well make Nigerian delicacies more accepted globally.
Tiger Foods, manufacturers of curry powder and thyme, will commercialise ready to serve Nigerian soups such as ogbonno, banga, ofeonugbu, and many others.
The agreement with Lensof Konsult LLC, USA, is for the commercialisation of R&D outputs through collaborative transfer of technologies to small, medium and large sized industries on utilisation of soybeans, diary, and cassava for foods and beverages production.
Another agreement with Lashone Links Communication Limited, for a TV project to promote indigenous technologies and local contents among industrial practitioners, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, as well provide quality sales programming.
Elemo said her agency took the advantage of the increasing need for convenience food, soybean and cassava-based products in Nigeria to upgrade the Institute’s research in these areas and packaged them in forms ready for immediate commercialisation.
“In the process of commercialization of indigenous technologies jobs will be created, wealth will be generated, foreign exchange will be conserved, national GDP will be enhanced through the productive sector of the economy.
“More importantly, the self-esteem that would accomplish the feat of bailing out our economy from recession and sustaining economic growth through home grown solutions cannot be quantified,” she said.
Source: G Business
