The Federal Government has challenged Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (Comsats), to go beyond the idea of identifying Centers of Excellence to creating new ideas and strategies aimed at empowering the under-developed countries for sustainable development through the use of Science and Technology (S&T).
Sam Egwu, Minister of education, said that knowledge is the main stay of most developed economies, and as such, developing countries must tag along with the West to benefit from accelerated socio-economic development.
Speaking at the event put together under the auspice of the National Mathematical Center (NMC) in conjunction with Comsats, Egwu commended the efforts of the committee urging it to ensure that scientists from the 3rd world countries see reasons to come home and undertake the development of their home countries, instead of helping only to further develop the already developed countries.
He said; “this meeting would provide a forum for implementation of Comsats’ initiatives. It will also provide avenue to promote development of member countries and as well encourage stakeholders contribute their quotas in realizing the international development agenda, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Since every economy of the world is knowledge-based, it therefore becomes imperative that Comsats members must look towards moor networking and cooperation aimed at changing the economical, social and political fortunes of one another”.
Development of Science and Technology is a sure way to winning the fight against poverty through the creation of jobs for teeming Nigerians and other citizens of the third world.
Elahi Qureshi, executive director, Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (Comsats), stated this at the first Comsats consultative committee meeting held in Abuja.
he said the organization has all the ingredients of a powerful instrument for positive change, but added “it is up to our collective wisdom to use this instrument for our common good”.
The vision of the founding fathers of Comsats he noted was to provide a forum to chalk-out joint strategies based on the use of S&T for the socio-economic development of the people.
According to Qureshi, it was a clear mission aimed at empowering the countries of the South; the means to do so was identified as capacity building in S&T; and the way to move forward was decided to be the South-South Cooperation.
He regretted however that the use of S&T as an equalizer of the North and the South has been slow to come about and that disparity has continued to emerge within the South, adding that with move to share knowledge it is bound to create employment.
“Once we have development in the ICT sector more jobs will be created and once that is done people will get jobs and definitely we will help in fighting poverty”
Comsats is a Coordinating Council of Network of International Science and Technology Centers of Excellence with member comprising Bolivia , Brazil , China , Colombia , Egypt , Ghana , Iran , and Jamaica . Others include; Jordan Nigeria, Pakistan , Sudan , Syria , Tanzania and Turkey .