The much awaited Industry Research Funds (NIRF) to facilitate the creation of the critical mass of highly skilled management with PhDs in science and engineering would be launched early next year, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has said.
When launched, the fund would ask corporations in the country to voluntarily contribute a certain percentage of their profits to the fund designated for the training of high-level researchers.
The idea behind the fund is the realization that institutions of higher learning are no longer breeding products that are capable of effectively working in industries due to lack of the needed know-how.
Dr. Umar B. Bindir, director general/CEO of NOTAP told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that “we need to formally launch it (NIRF) for transparency and accountability sake. This is coming soon. If not by end of this month, it will come latest by February, 2013”
A number of multinationals have already demonstrated support and commitment towards the project.
Under the first phase of the scheme, corporations can volunteer to contribute a certain percentage of their profits to the fund.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that there is also a bill awaiting approval at the Nigerian national assembly which, if passed into law, will make a set contribution compulsory.
This bill would take care of the multiplicity of funds like the Education Tax Fund and the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).
Once the bill has been passed, any money in the temporary fund will be harmonised into one national research fund for Nigeria.
“In the future, contributions to the fund will be mandatory as all corporations will pay their technology transfer fee [the fee every company that imports technology into Nigeria pays] directly into the fund,” Bindir was once quoted as saying.
Multi-nationals are importing experts because of the acute manpower shortage in the country.
Except for the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion intervention, there has been no concerted effort to build the needed expertise within the country.