Engr. Umar Buba Bindir, director general, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (Notap), has advocated the deployment of technology in every facet of the country’s socio-economic life for it to be among the twenty most developed economies of the world by 2020.
Engr. Bindir stated this during a technology monitoring visit to Julius Berger Nigeria Limited (JBN) in Abuja. He said that Mr. President was very clear on his Seven-Point Agenda for the development of Nigeria and that Vision 20-2020 was achievable with technology as the rallying point.
He explained that it was the responsibility of Notap and other stakeholders in the Nigerian project to adopt strategic partnerships, collaborations and cooperation in working to ensure the technological development of Nigeria.
He noted that the global economy as at present is knowledge driven and added that Nigeria’s progress in this direction has been very slow.
According to him, Notap, a government agency established to facilitate the acquisition of foreign technologies and promote the country’s innovation system has adopted a Technology-based Public Private Partnership (T.PPP) model to enhance the transfer of foreign technology and fast-track Nigeria’s economic development.
Engr. Bindir said new technologies for the production of goods and services can only emerge from a vibrant innovative system through Research and Development (R&D) and innovation activities. He added that Notap hinges its mandate on the evolution of a vibrant domestic R&D which is the major key for the transfer of technology.
He urged JBN to play a leading role in evolving new partnerships with the nation’s R&D system and stressed the need for the company to also look at improving on the use of local expertise, and raw materials to achieve a higher local content and local value addition.
He urged JBN to be more innovative in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by collaborating closely on projects that would enhance the exposure of students in primary and secondary schools to science as well as process technology for the manufacture of goods, for example, from the raw material stage to the finished products.
Julius Berger Nigeria he said has the capacity to be a role model for other companies to follow in the quest to develop Nigeria technologically and thanked the management of the company for the warm reception accorded him and his entourage.
Earlier, the managing director of JBN represented by Mr. Ewald Latus of the commercial department said JBN had been engaged in the research and development of locally produced products including furniture, tiles, piles and beams among others. He added that JBN’s research into advanced concrete and asphalt technology led to the construction of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) floating fuel stations available mostly in the Niger – Delta region.
He expressed JBN’s readiness to partner with relevant government agencies particularly in technology based R&D activities.
He further disclosed that JBN is in its final stages of establishing a high quality technology training centre in Abuja, where limited key training will be undertaken.