Govt saves N171b foreign technology transfer agreements
NIGERIA announced yesterday that it would in the year 2018
launch a satellite manufactured in Nigeria into space.
Though details of the project are not yet very clear,
Minister of Science, Dr. Abdu Bulama, said at a ministerial briefing in Abuja
yesterday that the National Space Research and Development would facilitate the
building and launching of the made in Nigeria satellite.
He said: “They (NASRDA) should be able to meet the target of
2018 to produce a Nigerian satellite.”
Meanwhile, government
said it had N171.85bn in the past five years through the scrutiny of technology
transfer agreements entered into between organisations in Nigeria and foreign
entities.
The Minister said the
feat was recorded through the National Office for Technology Acquisition and
Promotion (NOTAP).
He highlighted how NOTAP
had been scrutinising applications for technology acquisition from operators in
the Nigerian economy, adding that the exercise had saved the country N171.85bn
in the past five years.
His words: “The
intervention of NOTAP has led to financial savings for the country, which would
have been unremitted due to over invoicing of technology transfer fees.
“Since the inception of NOTAP, it has made a financial
savings in billions of naira, due to its intervention in the process of
evaluation and registration of technology transfer agreements.”
The Minister spoke on
how the ministry was now focusing attention on enhancing agricultural raw
materials through a number of activities:
“The Raw Material
Research and Development Council procured 1.6 and 2.0 tonnes of Samcot, 11 and
13 varieties of cotton respectively from the Institute of Agricultural
Research, ABU, Zaria and distributed them to members of the National Cotton
Association of Nigeria in six States including Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Edo
States,” he stressed.
He went on: “This is
targeted at increasing cotton yield to feed the textile industry that is almost
comatose due to insufficiency of raw materials or reliance on imported cotton
resulting in undue competition.
“The Oyo State
Sugarcane Farmers Union Limited was provided with 60 tonnes of sugarcane seeds
for their sugarcane farm clusters.
“These programmes are
projected to create 20,000 jobs along the agricultural and industrial
manufacturing value chain over a period of 5 years.”
He added that
improved oil palm seedlings for one hectare of land expected to have shorter
maturity period and increase the oil yield were through RMRDC procured for AICO
Projects Limited.
President Goodluck Jonathan had last year launched the
National Space Council with a charge to design a made in Nigeria satellite.
Members of the Council include the President as Chairman, the Vice President,
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Attorney General/Minister of
Justice, Minister of Science & Technology, Minister of Communication
Technology, Minister of Defence, Minister of National Planning, Minister of
Education, Minister of Interior,
National Security Adviser, Director General, NASRDA and Secretary to Council,
Prof. V.O.S Olunloyo, Prof. Francisca Okeke and Prof. E.D. Mishelia.
Jonathan had charged the National Space Research and
Development Agency to develop the capacity to design a made in Nigeria
Satellite and launch the satellite from Nigerian soil in the very near future.
The National Space Council is the highest policy making body
for space science and technology development in the country.
source:The Guardian News
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