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NAN MD pushes shift from foreign technology (Page 111)

By Olasunkanmi Onifade

The Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Ali .M. Ali, has called for a shift from over-dependence on foreign technology to promoting local innovation.

Ali made the call when the President of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Prof. Azikiwe Onwualu, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to NAN headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

He said many African research centres had valuable research outcomes that often remained unused, stressing the need to convert them into practical solutions and products.

According to him, Nigerians are already demonstrating strong innovation capacity in emerging sectors such as agricultural technology (AgriTech) and financial technology (FinTech).

“Nigerians are breaking ceilings with innovations that are gaining recognition not only across Africa but globally,” he said.

Ali said the rising cost of foreign technology made it imperative for African countries to strengthen local research institutions and innovation ecosystems.

“It is time we begin to look inward and work closely with institutions like yours to reduce Africa’s over-dependence on foreign technology,” he said.

The NAN managing director reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to supporting institutions driving innovation and development in Nigeria.

He emphasised the importance of collaboration between public media organisations and academic institutions in promoting research visibility and national development.

Ali added that such collaboration would also help showcase the university’s research achievements and innovation through NAN’s wide media network.

Earlier, Onwualu said the university would host the Africa X Summit from April 22 to April 24, aimed at promoting innovation and the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to solve real-world challenges.

He said the summit would bring together researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers to bridge the gap between research outcomes and industrial development.

Onwualu noted that Nigerian universities and research institutes were producing significant knowledge that often remained unused due to limited industrial capacity and investment.

According to him, the summit seeks to connect innovators with investors and industry players to facilitate the commercialisation of research outputs.

He added that the university had established an innovation hub to support the transformation of research findings into practical products and services.

“In the last two years, the university has registered about 15 patents in areas such as energy and water, with plans to commercialise these innovations,” he said.

Onwualu described Artificial Intelligence as a transformative technology that could significantly impact sectors such as healthcare, transportation and agriculture if properly harnessed.

He also noted that Nigeria’s heavy reliance on foreign technology could be reduced by investing in local research and supporting young innovators.

The university president said the summit would provide a platform for stakeholders to explore solutions to Nigeria’s industrialisation challenges and strengthen the country’s knowledge economy.

NAN reports that AUST was established in 2007 by the Nelson Mandela Institution as a continental initiative to promote advanced training and research in science and technology.

The university attracts students from across Africa and has secured several research grants from international development partners, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Tosin Kolade

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NAN MD pushes shift from foreign technology (Page 111)