The immediate past Director General of the National Centre for Technology Management, Prof. Willie Siyanbola, on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to focus on improving indigenous technology to engender technological development of the country.
Siyanbola gave the advice in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at a seminar organized by the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, Bodija, Ibadan.
He said if value could be added to indigenous technology, it would not only create wealth for Nigerians and earn huge foreign exchange, but would give a direction to Nigeria’s technological development.
Speaking at the seminar entitled: “The importance of Science, Technology Innovation,” moderated by the Chairman of the ISGPP, Prof. Akin Mabogunje, the current research professor at the Centre for Energy Research and Development, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, said if President Muhammadu Buhari and governors at the various states of the federation would succeed in administration, they needed to integrate science and technology innovation into their development agenda.
According to Siyanbola, local governments and states can collaborate on how to fund improvement in the technologies being used by local manufacturers with the aim of helping them improve and multiply their products, which will in turn galvanize the economy of the areas.
His words: “It is easier to take off from a known ground. Indigenous technologies are our own. We have been exposed to them. The point I am making is to the effect that those kinds of technologies that we know that our people have perfected over time in the traditional level can be taken to a higher level through advanced technology by applying more recent scientific knowledge. I am talking about value addition on existing technology.
“For instance, a device as simple as aluminium metal cooking pots used for cooking at big occasions, soap making technology and leather processing are technologies which Nigeria can leverage on as a starting point for technology development in the country. Nigerians will continue to cook for ceremonies – social cooking. The amount of money going into importing those products from Ghana is huge. A little scientific knowledge will help in those areas.
“A much more advanced one is the leather processing. In our research at the centre, we discovered that leather tanning is the second largest foreign exchange earner for Nigeria after oil. If only we could focus on it, we could become the world beater. Value addition must never stop for advancing the quality of life and technology use in any country. Value addition must always drive our living. Let us start with little technology that will change the lives of our people so we can improve from there.”
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