[size=14pt]A RISING COLOSSUS: NIGERIA LEADS AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY/COMMERCE RACE[/size]



CONTINUING UPDATES ON SCIENTIFIC/COMMERCIAL BREAKTHROUGHS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY:




Nigerian discovers new heavenly body

News Friday,
December 17, 2010


Nigerian Born Scientist Dr. Alph-onsus Ekwerike of Science Medicine Research, has discovered a new heavenly body tagged 2010 TL 78. In a new space discovery news released recently by Dr Patrick Miller, President of the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) & a Professor of Mathematics & Astronomy at Harding-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.

USA,said this discovery was done on September 15,2010 but got confirmed last month with due credit to the discoverer, Dr. Alphonsus Ekwerike.

In his congratulatory statement on Dec.9,2010 to Dr.Alphonsus Ekwerike,he said "Now, keep in mind the discovery won't be numbered for 3-10 years.

Additional observations will be made over the years until the orbit is fully refined. It is at that point that the discovery is numbered and placed into the world's official catalog. Your discovery is now in the provisional stage, and being monitored by the Minor Planet Center."

http://odili.net/news/source/2010/dec/17/310.html



World Bank lists Nigerian firm among top emission control inventors
Wednesday, 02 February 2011

AN indigenous company- Quintas Renewable Energy Solution, based in Akure, Ondo State, has been named by the Climatology Division of the World Bank as one of the 10 inventors selected across the globe for contributing towards reduction in carbon emission through their products in 2010.

The development came as the Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, urged the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), to focus on researches aimed at finding alternative sources of energy “for the country to make the required headway in industrial development.”

Incorporated in 2009, after ten years of research and development in the area of power backup (electricity) in critical areas in hospitals, offices, homes and rural communities, Quintas has a large percentage of the UPS market in Ondo and neigbouring states of Osun, Ekiti and Edo.

The company was also adjudged by the World Economic Forum (WEF), alongside 30 others, as WEF Technology Pioneers for the same period and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Omotayo Dairo, invited by the global body to Davos, Switzerland to be part of the yearly conference.

Briefing newsmen in Akure before the trip, Dairo, a medical doctor and Chairman of the Governing Board of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said representatives of the selected companies would have private sessions with various multinational concerns across the world before having an evening with Bill Gates on Saturday.

According to Dairo, the power backups- inverters, being produced by the organisation are equipped with buffer voltage compensation features to prevent voltage drop when being loaded, battery overcharge/overdischarge and other protective features.


He explained that the inventions of the organisation in the area of generation of electricity for use in the rural communities were being set for demonstrations as precedent to commercialisation, stressing that the company had concluded plans to establish the first factory in Africa that would process saw dust, wood shavings and chippings to high energy yielding pellets and reduce global green house gas emission.

While stressing that the Davos conference would be an opportunity to showcase Nigeria to the world and attract international investment into the country, Dairo said: “Already, international financial institutions in America and Standard Chartered Bank, had expressed interest in the projects and were willing to support the initiative.”

He, however, said the organisation expects about N5 billion facility in the next five years to bolster its renewable energy drive in Africa for the next three years, noting that with a combination of efforts, Nigeria’s energy problem would be solved by the next ten years.



Nigerian Surgeons Achieve Medical Feat In Bone Stiffness

Sunday, 21 August 2011
Lawrence Njoku, Enugu News - National

A TEAM of Nigerian surgeons has developed a new world-acclaimed surgical technique for the treatment of permanent bone stiffness of the elbow, known as ankylosis of the elbow in medical parlance.

Already, seven Nigerians have benefited from the new technique and are now living normal lives.

The new technique known as Radial Recurrent Fasciocutaneous Flap in Interposition Arthroplasty of Elbow Ankylosis was recently published in International Surgery, an official journal of the International College of Surgeons based in Italy.

The surgeons, led by Prof. Frank Akpuaka, the medical director of a private orthopaedic hospital in Enugu include Dr. Chukwuemeka Eze and Dr. Udo Anyaehie, both of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Abuja.

The Guardian investigation showed that an authoritative biomedical website, BioMed Lib.com based in the United States of America, using its search engine to assess millions of biomedical articles in the National Library of Medicine’s Meddline data base, currently rated their publication in the first position out of 4,143,174 publications worldwide.

A second rating by Biomedlib.com again scored the new technique first with a score of 93 per cent out of 3,859,118 publications worldwide.

Another rating, the 3rd by Recent Medical Findings.com also in the United States scored the new technique a close second out of 36 top biomedical articles in the field in the last 5 years.

The surgeons started experimenting on the technique in 2006 and followed up until late last year when they announced their triumph.

According to the publication, what excited the team is the simplicity of the technique.

New technology boosts rice production in Kebbi


August 22, 2011 09:48PM


A new rice technology adopted by farmers in Jega, Kebbi State, has boosted production, says the chairman of the Agama Rice Association, Abdulmumini Umar,

Mr Umar told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Jega, that farmers who embraced the technology had recorded high yields and had called for the expansion of the programme under Fadama III.

According to him, the achievement has generated a lot of interest because the new harvesting technology of rice is better than the traditional method previously used.

“The farmers were trained by Fadama III officials four months ago and provided with seedlings and water pumps as well as extension services.

“The programme has attracted other farmers’ interest,” he said.

He added that farmers in the area had formed associations, hoping to get similar training and support to embark on the ‘Sawa’ rice production.

An official of the state Fadama III Office, Sadiq Ambursa, told NAN that the ‘Sawa’ rice production technology was adopted from Japan and would be expanded for the next five years.
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Nex...-147/story.csp



Nigeria Launches First Satellite Built By Africans

http://www.scidev.net/en/news/nigeria-launches-first-satellite-built-by-africans.html



Nigeria's Earth observation satellites Return First Pictures.



The spacecraft, launched on 17 August, give the African nation a powerful new capability to map its own lands and other parts of the globe.

NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X will also assist the Disaster Monitoring Constellation.


This UK-managed fleet of spacecraft is used to picture regions of the Earth gripped by natural calamities.

These might be catastrophic floods or a big earthquake. Images sent down from space will often be critical to organising an effective emergency response.

The first picture released from the Nigerian pair is of New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland.

It was acquired by NigeriaSat-X, and reveals the buildings and the landscape surrounding this major urban centre.



It is just possible to see the wakes of ships passing under the harbour bridge that joins downtown Auckland with North Shore City.

The satellite is equipped with a multi-spectral imager for general mapping, agricultural monitoring and disaster relief work.

The resolution in this picture is 22m per pixel. Vegetation is picked out in red.

Both NigeriaSat-X and NigeriaSat-2 were designed and built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in Guildford, UK.

What is interesting about NigeriaSat-X is that the work was undertaken by Nigerian engineers themselves. The skills they have learnt will now be taken home so that they can build future spacecraft in their own country.

It is a model previously followed by Turkey. Its engineers received their education at SSTL as well, and the same rocket that launched the Nigerian platforms also launched Rasat.

This remote sensing satellite (7.5m resolution) is the first to have been developed and manufactured in Turkey by Turkish engineers.

SSTL Executive Chairman, Sir Martin Sweeting, commented: "NigeriaSat-X is the product of Nigeria's training and development programme here at Surrey.

"It is a great credit to NASRDA (National Space Research and Development Agency) and their engineers that this satellite is performing well and its operations are progressing so quickly.

"These highly skilled engineers will not only help Nigeria to manage its resources, but also bootstrap its fledgling high-tech economy alongside a growing nucleus of highly trained people."

A first picture should be released from NigeriaSat-2 in the coming days. This is a much more powerful platform, able to resolve details on the Earth's surface just 2.5m across.

Few countries in the world have access to such a capability.




Nigeria Sat-X: 26 engineers receive NSE's award


Monday, September 26, 2011


The 26 engineers who built the recently launched NigeriaSat-X have all received the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) chairman's merit award.

The award, which was presented by the chairman of the NSE, Abuja chapter, Mr Olatunde Akinteye, was in recognition of the achievement of the engineers in the design and building of a training model satellite to flight standard and was launched alongside NigeriaSat-2.


The Director-General of National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr Seidu Mohammed, in his remark at the event, congratulated the 26 engineers for exhibiting great skills and excellence in making the nation proud.


He thanked the NSE for the gesture, saying that this was not only recognition and appreciation shown to the engineers, but also to the agency as a whole.


Dr Mohammed said the work done by the engineers and scientists went to show that education in Nigeria was as good as anywhere else in the world, adding that despite challenges, Nigerians still performed well and even better, given better conditions elsewhere in the world.

The NASRDA helmsman said the nation's venture in space was not an ego trip, but an opportunity to harness the immense benefit of space technology for the development of the nation, adding that no nation could boast of meaningful development without employing the tools of science and technology.
http://odili.net/news/source/2011/sep/26/610.html



CNN spotlight on Omatek Nigeria(one of Africa's first computer makers)

see video below:

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video....computers.cnn



Nigeria's first IVF clinic

see video below:

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video...-treatment.cnn

Nigeria Records First Stem Cell Transplantation in West Africa

A team of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State, medical experts have recorded the first successful stem cell transplantation operation in the West African sub-region.

The team led by a haematologist, Dr. Nosakhare Bazuaye, performed a successful surgery made on an indigent sickle cell patient, who suffered a stroke at seven.

Chief Medical Director of UBTH, Prof. Michael Ibadin, said the cell transplant began three years ago, when the institution assembled a team of 18 experts, which it sent to Switzerland in an effort to bring comfort to Nigerians suffering from sickle cell anaemia and other diseases.

According to Ibadin, with the breakthrough, the two-week procedure which would have cost about N40m outside the country can now be done for as low as N2m locally.

He said, “This is the first time it is happening here, and this is the first time it is happening in Africa, outside Egypt and South Africa.

“It did not start now but three years ago when we sent 18 experts to Switzerland in batches and in the course of doing that, experts from Switzerland came here to put up the infrastructure.”

Surrounded by some of the experts, including Bazuaye, who carried out the procedure on the seven-year-old son of a retiree, the CMD explained what the procedure entailed.

He said, “Stem cell means primitive cell; the transplantation means you are taking from one person and transplanting to the other. For you to get the stem cell, you have to go to the bone marrow, but then it is not every cell there that is primitive. The process requires extensive technical knowledge and it’s a delicate procedure.

“To do this, you have to break down the defences of the donor through drugs. You need to get this (primitive cell) from somebody to transfer to others.

“The likely beneficiaries include sicklers, one of which we just did the stem cell transplantation on. A procedure like this can make a sickler go from SS to AA. You harvest from one source (donor) who is compatible with the patient and transplant. Cancer patients can also benefit.”

He added, “In this particular case, a child at seven, he had already had a stroke and was at the risk of having a second. The person that donated to him was the brother, who is 14. There was cross-matching which had to be done, but was not available in this country. We had to bring in somebody from Basel (Switzerland).”

The surgery, which lasted two weeks, will take another month to determine whether the grafting will jell, but an upbeat Ibadin sees nothing that could undermine the process.

He, however, called on Nigerians to rally round the institution, in its effort to make the specialised surgery widely available at a reduced cost.

He said, “It is an expensive procedure but we are not looking at that as we want a breakthrough.
http://naija-online.com/2011/10/nige...ansplantation/



Nigerian On The Moon: FG Draws Roadmap for Space Mission


The federal government has announced that it has drawn up a master plan through which the first Nigerian would land on the moon by 2030
Giving details of the plan, which was approved at yesterday's meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), science and technology minister, Prof Turner Isuon, said that a cabinet committee has been established for the purpose.

Isuon told state house correspondents at the end of the meeting that members of the council committee include the ministers of science and technology, FCT, education, communications and the minister of state for finance.

The committee, which is to draw up the plan and budget for the actualisation of the presidential initiative, is also empowered to invite Nigerians in the Diaspora, who are specialists in space science.
The minister said that within the next 25 years, the country would aspire to produce and launch a satellite in the country and also be able to help others achieve a similar goal.

He said that the country would not go solo on the search for a place in space, adding that through its National Space Research and Development Agency, the federal government hope to go into partnerships with other nations that were ahead in space.

"As we speak, 55 young engineers are undergoing training on satellite technology in China,'' he said, adding that government was planning to establish the needed institutions and infrastructure for the programme.

``There will be a year by year plan, and capacity would be developed,'' he said, noting that by the end of 2007, between 60 and 70 satellite engineers would have been fully trained and ready for the task ahead.

He spoke of plans to develop communications software locally and also manufacture all the facilities needed in space technology such that the nation could also begin to reap huge benefits from space sciences.
The minister said that the space plan was for the future and that the federal government was ``very serious on this'' and was determined to work successfully to actualise it.



Nigeria joins Egypt, S’Africa in solar panel production


By John Ofikhenua 09/12/2011 00:00:00

Nigeria has joined Egypt and South Africa as the third African nation to produce its solar panels for electricity purposes locally.

The Science and Technology Minister, Professor Ita Okon Bassey Ewa, announced this yesterday when he led a delegation in a consultation visit to the Minister of Power, Professor Bart Nnaji.

Head Media and Public Relations, Mrs Greyne Anosike made this known in a statement yesterday.

The Minister said that the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has successfully produced solar panels of international standard, which would now bridge the quantum of foreign exchange being spent on importing panels from Asia and Europe annually.

With that, Nigeria joins Egypt and South Africa as the only African nations with the technological capacity to mass produce solar panels.

Prof. Ewa, who was accompanied by his Permanent Secretary, Dr. Dare Awosika and the Director General – NASENI, Prof. O. Adewuye, said they came to show solidarity with the efforts of the Power Minister to translate Nigerian dream into reality and to seek various areas of collaboration in defining ways in which science and engineering could impact and drive the rural development.

He said Science and Technology Ministry believes that because of the difficult terrain in some parts of the country, clusters of electricity generating units as dams, wind and solar would be the best option forward and confirmed that his Ministry had done all studies relating to them and would invite the Power Minister to come and see them soon.

The Minister said “on wind energy, we have produced a wind map for the country, which tells us where we have the strongest wind velocity for power generation”.

Ewa said his team was also in the Ministry to further solicit good partnership to drive the solar panel technology in Karchi, Abuja forward.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/201...roduction.html

Nigerian Scientist Develops Process For Producing Flammable Gases From Urine


A NIGERIAN Scientist, Ejikeme P. Nwosu, 29-year-old, may have developed a process for producing flammable gases from urine.

Nwosu, a graduate of Pure and Industrial Chemistry from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (NAU), Anambra State with Masters of Science degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, claims this process could replace fossil fuel in the near future.

Nwosu told The Guardian, "after years of study, I have successfully developed a process that converts urine into flammable gases. These gases can be used as an alternative to fossil fuel. This process is cheap, easy and very feasible. It requires treating urine with some substances I identified after years of study.

"No external heat is required for this process. The flammable gas is rich in hydrogen and ammonia. Both can be used directly to generate energy or could be further purified upon chemical treatments to get hydrogen of very high purity. Hydrogen is the best fuel for engines because it poses no threat to the environment, it produces water vapour as by product."

Scientists from Ohio University, United States, were one of the first, in July 2009, to describe the possibility of developing urine-powered cars, homes and personal electronic devices in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Chemistry Communications.

Also, the BBC reported on August 19, 2010, of a research team at Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom, investigating whether urine could be used as a source of renewable energy.

Nwosu, who says he is the chief executive officer (CEO) and director of Research at Lumos Laboratories and Company Nigeria, Kaduna, further explained, "it is obvious that our crude oil reserves will be exhausted in few decades to come. When this happens we will be forced to use other sources of fuel, but it would be more prudent to start acting prior to such state. Besides these, fossil fuel has a lot of dangers that come with it; chief among them is climatic disorders.

"In order to leave our world better than I met it, I ventured into research on urine and have made some notable successes that can change the world forever."

Nwosu said the United States government alone has invested billions of dollars into projects that can produce hydrogen from various sources and it is high time the Nigerian government acted on this.

"Trillions of litres of urine are generated yearly globally with an average adult producing about 2.5 litres daily," he said.

The industrial chemist said contrary to people's view of urine as a waste, he sees urine as the solution to our highly sought clean, renewable and affordable energy.

"Very soon, urine will be for sale. You are welcome to our laboratory anytime for demo, while coming do so with a bottle or bottles of urine and watch me change it to fire," Nwosu said.

In a report published 2009 in Discovery News, the Ohio University scientists said they could create large amounts of cheap hydrogen from urine that could be burned or used in fuel cells, using a nickel-based electrode. "One cow can provide enough energy to supply hot water for 19 houses," said Gerardine Botte, a professor at Ohio University developing the technology. "Soldiers in the field could carry their own fuel."
http://channelkoos.com/index.php/new...es-from-urine-




Nigerian Company Launces New Tablet


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNKjLee2PqA&feature=player_embedded



Amaechi commissions Africa’s 2nd PET plant at Eleme

News Wednesday, July 25, 2012

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

PORT HARCOURT –

INDUSTRIALISATION and job creation have been identified as the twin solution to the security challenges facing the country.


Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, who, yesterday, commissioned a new world class Poly-Ethylene Terephthalate, PET, plant built by Indorama group, core investors in Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals limited, in Eleme, Rivers State, said the project will drive the nation towards the attainment of its vision 20:20 20 goals.

He expressed hope that the development will create more jobs in the state. He also lauded the host community, Eleme for their friendly conduct during construction of the plant.

On his part, Group Managing Director of Indorama Corporation, Mr. Amit Lohia, said the new PET Plant has a capacity to produce 86,000 metric tones of PET resins per annum.

The dream of Indorama, he said, is to turn Nigeria into a net exporter of PET resins, adding "for now, Nigeria imports 100 per cent of its local demand of PET resins" and pledged that soon, Indorama's PET production will cover all local demands, and for exports to neighbouring African countries.

Application of PET is largely in PET bottles for table water, aerated water, fruit juices, drugs, beers, beverages, among others.
http://odili.net/news/source/2012/jul/25/313.html

Nigeria, China collaborate in marine science research


On August 31, 2012 · In Business
12:21 am


The Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), in collaboration with the Second Institute for Oceanography, Hangzhou, China, have successfully conducted a marine scientific research cruise in the Nigerian continental shelf.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the joint cruise between the NIOMR and the Chinese Institute, has been described as the first of its kind between an African State and the Chinese Government.

Both Nigerian and Chinese scientists returned from a nine-day expedition into the Western Nigerian continental shelf on Wednesday, on board the ship, “R.V. Dayangyihao.’’

Prof. Larry Awosika, a NIOMR scientist who led the Nigerian delegation, said that the research was undertaken to a depth of 4,500 metres, using sophisticated equipment.

He disclosed that seven research scientists from NIOMR, two Nigerian Navy hydrographers and 30 scientists from the First, Second and Third Institutes of Oceanography in China went on the nine-day cruise.

“In the Memorandum of Understanding, NIOMR and the State Oceanic Administration of China are the implementing agencies.

“The areas of collaboration would include: marine scientific research and survey, climate change and sea level rise, integrated coastal zone management and related research and training.

“Other areas are: ocean disaster reduction, satellite and remote sensing, marine information and data exchange, ocean energy exploration and research,’’ Awosika said.

He said that during the cruise, the Nigerian and Chinese scientists undertook extensive and intensive data collection on geological, geophysical, physical, chemical and biological oceanography.

In a message, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, said it was gratifying that the two countries considered marine scientific research a top priority for knowledge generation and sharing.

Adesina, who was represented by the Acting Executive Director, NIOMR, Mr Emmanuel Ajao, said that marine scientific research was also an innovation in the development of the Nigerian ocean space.

“This exercise will promote and strengthen the existing friendly relations between our two countries, leading to closer partnership collaboration between marine institutions and personnel in both countries.

“It will add value to our understanding and enhance our capacity for harnessing and exploiting the renewable and non-renewable resources in our waters,’’ Adesina said.

Under the collaboration, the two countries have agreed to collect and exchange experimental data, scientific information and jointly analyse the samples in Nigeria and in China. They also plan to exchange scientists, scholars and specialist teams.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/08/n...ence-research/



Nigerian engineering undergraduates win global race car design competition



The NUTA_BOLTS Team from Anambra State University represented the country at the 2012 annual event that took place in Silverstone Circuit, Northampton, UK

September 14, 2012 - 11:55am


Amidst Nigeria’s struggle for relevance in the global technology sphere, some Nigerian undergraduates have imprinted the country’s name on the stone by clinching the title for the Best African representative and Best New Comers at the July 2012 Formula Student Competition where they were charged with the task of designing and constructing a formula race car.

The Nigerian undergraduates (christened The NUTA_BOLTS Team) who are currently studying for a various Engineering degrees at the Anambra State University were Nigeria’s sole representative at the annual event whose 2012 series took place in Silverstone Circuit, Northampton, UK. Six other African universities (five from Egypt and one from South Africa) also participated in the competition the competition that drew contestants from 222 universities around the globe.

The Formula Student is an educational motorsport competition, run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), in partnership with various well-known companies in the industry. It promotes careers and excellence in engineering, by challenging university students from across the globe to design, build, develop, market and compete as a team with a small single sitter racing car. It provides the students with a real-life exercise in design and manufacture and the business elements of automotive engineering. It teaches them all about team work, working under pressure and to tight timescales. It demands total commitment, lots of late nights, and many frustrations and challenges along the way, but the net result is the development of highly talented young engineers.

The competition starts at the beginning of the university year when teams start to design their cars. They are to assume that a manufacturing firm has commissioned them to produce a prototype car for the non-professional autocross or sprint racer sales market with the intention of selling one thousand units. To encourage innovation, there are very few restrictions on the overall vehicle design. Successful teams are those who produce a car that is not only fast and reliable, but also low in cost and easy to maintain. The car’s marketability is also enhanced by other factors such as aesthetics, driver comfort and the use of common parts.

The competition offers team the opportunity to undertake real-life challenges and logistics, and develop the skills they will need when they go on work in industry.

For the NUTA_BOLTS boys whose design was judged the 7th Overall Best, fame didn’t just come. They have been working laboriously since 2008 forging seemingly trivial but ingenious designs. The first design they embarked on then was that of a unique Nut and Bolt which gave them the name (The Nuta_Bolts). They went further designing many other components like the key-holder-opener using the conventional lathe machine, they also modeled the speed cone of a lathe machine and later designed a miniature camera. They were on plans to designing and producing a multiple Grinding Machine when the IMechE team visited their school.

Twenty one in number, the team, whom Professor Bamiro (former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan) suggests would make good technopreneurs is armed with strong willed and motivated students from the fields of Mechanical Engineering, Architecture, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Civil Engineering and Chemical Engineering organizing themselves as a modern company.

The team according to team Leader, Onyenanu Ifeanyichukwu "has already kicked off preparation module to build the car and race it in Silverstone by July, 2013."

As contained in the communiqué issued at the end of the 21st COREN Assembly where the NUTA_BOLTS team presented a lecture, the government has been “requested to financially support the team to enable them develop, fabricate and commission the race car”.
http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/nig...gn-competition



New Method Of Treating Cancer Discovered In Nigeria


The President of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST ), Abuja, Professor Wole Soboyejo, has disclosed that research in new methods for the treatment of cancer has reached an advanced stage, compared to the treatment of the disease through chemotherapy.

Soboyejo unveiled this yesterday at the opening ceremony of a five-day workshop on Nanomedicine and Bio-Micro-Electrical Systems (BIOMEMS) organised by the Federal University of Technology, Minna in collaboration with AUST.

The new method of treatment would give room for early detection.

According to him, the new method of treatment will have little or no side effect on the patients, adding that unlike chemotherapy, the medicine is selective, saying when administered, it goes direct to the region of the disease unlike the present form of treatment which must go through all the blood vessels before attacking the area of the disease.

He added that the new method is cost effective as patients need not take large number of dosages of the medicine before it could go round the body to have impact on the affected part.

According to him, research for the new treatment had started eight years ago and had proven to be effective after testing it on animals adding that it would soon be tested on human beings.

He however said administering the new treatment has to be through injection.

He added that the workshop was conducted with the aim of bringing the young scholars and scientists on board for their contribution for research work on BIOMEMS.
http://africanspotlight.com/2012/09/...ed-in-nigeria/

Samsung to establish engineering academy in Ekiti




Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Samsung to establish engineering academy in Ekiti
by Agency Reporter


Electronics giant, Samsung, is set to establishing an engineering academy in Ado Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State, as part of its partnership arrangement with the state government.

The establishment of the academy is part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the state government and the management of Samsung in Seoul, South Korea on Monday.

Governor Kayode Fayemi signed for the state government, while the Executive Vice-President, IT Solutions Business, Samsung, Mr. Seongwoo Nam, signed on behalf of his firm at a brief ceremony at the company's head office in Seoul.

According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, other areas of collaboration between Ekiti State and Samsung as contained in the MoU, include e-governance, healthcare, technology park, smart city and safe city initiatives of the state government.

Fayemi said the partnership with Samsung would boost the state government's ICT plans, especially its e-school, e-payment and e-government projects.

The statement said Samsung was one of the major partners of the state government on its computer-per-child initiative, which is designed to put a laptop computer on the desk of every student in the state's public secondary schools by 2014.

According to the statement, 33,000 laptop computers out of the planned 100,000 are being distributed across the state in the fist phase of the project.
http://odili.net/news/source/2012/sep/11/800.html



Main,Tata launch Video Connect Network



Main One Cable has launched a video content network that will enable Nigerians connect to the world.

The company launched the network known as the Video Connect Network, in partnership with Global Network Services, Tata Communications.

The Video Connet Network will allow broadcast and production companies in Nigeria to distribute live video content worldwide.

It will also enhance international broadcasters' reach into the key emerging region.

Main One owns the first privately-owned submarine cable over a distance of 7,000 kilometres along the West African coastline, with initial landing stations in Nigeria, Ghana and Portugal.

The company also provides open access wholesale international broadband capacity to countries along the west coast of Africa.

Main One Chief Executive Officer, Funke Opeke, described the relationship between the two companies as 'groundbreaking', adding that it would be "bringing new opportunities not only to Nigeria but Africa as a whole".

Senior Vice-President, Global Network Services, Tata Communications, Genius Wong, said that following increasing demand for high-quality video capability in and out of Nigeria, Tata Communications' partnership with Main One connected its global video network to an expansive local fibre network.

This, he said, had created a dedicated video network connecting to key broadcasters as well as production and post-production houses in Africa.
http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/...onnect-network

Nigerian Air Force Developing bomb detonating robot

By Tony Akowe

As part of efforts aimed at curbing the activities of terrorist groups in the country, the Nigeria Airforce Institute of Technology (AFIT), Kaduna, said on Monday that it will soon develop a bomb detonating robot.

The Institute owned by the Nigerian Airforce also said that it has developed an unmanned Aerial Vehicle code named “Amebo” for the purpose of surveillance and intelligence gathering in crisis prone areas of the country.

Commandant of the Institute, Air Vice Marshal John Oshiniyi, told a news conference in Kaduna that when the bomb detonating robot is finally developed, it will have the capacity to detonate high calibre bomb from a distance without any physical presence of a human being to carry out the exercise.

He disclosed that the institute is currently carrying out intensive research into the robot development, saying “we all know that human beings have always gone to detonate bombs and in view of the danger involved, anything can happen.

“It is because of this that we decided to go into research and the development of the bomb detonation robot. Research goes on and on. When we get to the time that we feel the public should know, we will show you, “he added.

Oshiniyi noted that the unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the college is the first of its kind on the African continent, stressing that the concept was borne out of the transformation agenda of the present administration.

“We do believe that Nigeria is capable of attaining higher pedestal in military aviation and defence related technology.

“Accordingly, in tandem with Mr. President transformation agenda, AFIT has in the past few years been focusing on defence –related research and development activities as part of its contributions to the realization of Mr. President’s vision,” he said.
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/201...ing-robot.html




Nigerian Professor Develops Solar Refrigerator

Research & Devt: Our solar refrigerator ready for commercialisation – Prof Enibe

Quote:

Thursday, July 19, 2012

By Ebele Orakpo


In this chat with Vanguard Learning, Professor Samuel Ogbonna Enibe, a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka spoke on his research work on solar refrigerator and says there is usually a problem between laboratory work and the market place. Excerpts:

Using the energy of the sun to provide cooling:

Said Prof. Enibe: "Most of my research works centre on energy both renewable and conventional and more recently, the modelling of systems and dissemination of the information to the general public."

Prof. Enibe started his work on solar refrigerator by building on an earlier work done by his colleague, Prof. O. C Iloeje who did experimental work using calcium chloride (similar to common salt) which has the capacity to absorb a gas called ammonia at ordinary temperatures.

"He then developed a system such that we built a solar collector so that when you expose the calcium chloride that has absorbed ammonia to the solar collector, the solar collector heats it up to the extent that the temperature becomes very high. We got temperatures of up to 100oC. At that temperature, the gas will leave the salt (the absorbent) and act as a refrigerant.

“In a conventional refrigerator, there is a gas inside called a refrigerant, so in this case, ammonia can be used as such a gas. Once you release that ammonia from the salt at very high temperature and pressure, it becomes a very useful raw material.

“We then developed another circuit where that gas will go and change into liquid. When it changes to liquid, it will be like when alcohol touches your hand, it evaporates and cools the hand. So in the same way, the ammonia passes through the inside of a refrigerator coil and cools whatever is there and produces ice," he said.

System modeling:

Not satisfied with that achievement, Prof. Enibe went further to study and understand the system more. He said: "These days, we do not stop at building a system. After building a system, you will like to understand the internal dynamics of that system. What will happen if you change the temperature or pressure or environment or like this one that is powered by solar energy, what will happen if the sun is not enough or when it is too much?

Although you can usually find out these things by doing experiments, but in our modern world, we normally back up experiments with what we call modeling. What I did was to study this system that has been built and tested, study all its components and then convert the performance of each component into mathematical equations. That is modeling. For each component, you write mathematical equations to describe the performance, all the input and output, you model them mathematically and at the end of it all, you write a computer software that will calculate everything from the beginning to the end for may be, one year.

Having written the computer programme which was the topic of my PhD thesis, we compared the results we got with experimental data because when you have done a mathematical model, you convert it to computer algorithm, whatever results you get (since we believe more in the things we can see), you compare it with the experiment and that gives you the assurance that you have done the model correctly.

So when we did that and found that the results generated by the experimental model and the computer model were in agreement, we were very happy. Next, we used the computer model we have built to find out how the system will perform in various parts of the world. When you have done a good model, sometimes you may not even need to take it to a physical location, once you get data for that location, you can test the performance of that system for that location.

Testing the product:

With the computer model we developed, we tested the performance of the refrigerator in all parts of Nigeria for the entire year and then we extended it to major cities in Africa. We did not have to carry the refrigerator from town to town. Because we built the computer model, we were able to test it in Sudan, South Africa, Egypt and all the major climatic areas in Africa. We confirmed that it will perform in most of the places. Of course, there were areas – the very cold areas - that it could not do well like Cape Town during winter. In places like Juba, Sudan which has high temperatures, the performance was quite good," he stated.

Optimization:

Continuing, Enibe said they went on to optimize. "In optimization, what you do is that having tested something by experiment or computer programme over a very wide range of conditions, you will want to find out the best set of operating conditions that will give you best performance. Example, those who make cars have to make the car first, it has to be beautiful so that those who like good things will appreciate it.

“At the same time, the price has to be low enough so that ordinary people can afford it because if you have a very beautiful car but it is too expensive, then it will not sell. You look at all the input materials, all the things that affect it and put them all together and find out what you really want. Do you want something at very low cost or very high performance etc? So we found out the conditions under which the refrigerator will perform optimally."


http://odili.net/news/source/2012/jul/19/332.html

Nigerian Car Manufacturer Innoson Group wins 2012 African Business of the Year Award
SATURDAY, 16 JUNE 2012 09:06

....................................


Innoson Group, a Nigerian vehicle manufacturing company has bagged the 2012 African Business of the year award.

The Award, an initiative of the African Business Magazine and the Commonwealth Business Council is in recognition of the group’s success in Nigeria and Africa.

Innocent Chukwuma, Chairman of the Group, who received the award on behalf of the organisation on Friday in London, said the company was committed to the industrial growth of Nigeria.

``We have also keyed into the Federal Government’s agenda to develop vital sectors of the economy to make Nigeria one of the top economies by 2020,’’ he said.

Galib Virani of Afren International, an upstream oil and gas company, noted that the company’s industrial record was not only outstanding but heart-warming.

He said that the company did not only represent the best in Nigeria but also a champion in Africa.

"It is a thing of pride to have such a high profile group in the African continent,” Virani said.

Six distinguished business experts including Jean-Louis Ekra, Runa Alam, Amadou Ba, Barbara James, Sir Samuel Jonah and Tim Turner formed the panel.

The panel was constituted by the Commonwealth Business Council and African Business which recommended the group for the award.

Some of the criteria included the group’s business leadership skills and the ability to overcome tough hurdles in a hostile business environment like Nigeria.

The team also considered the group’s rise into auto parts engineering, assemblage and manufacturing of automobiles in Nigeria.

The company was nominated for the award by Nigeria’s Bank of Industry (BOI).

http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/76-hot-topic/39638-innoson-group-wins-2012-african-business-of-the-year-award

NIGERIAN ENGINEER INVENTS MULTILINGUAL COMPUTER KEYBOARD

A Nigerian Mechanical Engineer based in the United States of America, Mr. Olukayode Oluwole, has invented a multi-lingual computer keyboard, capable of typing "diacritical marks and characters" of over 400 Nigerian languages.

Diacritical characters and marks are meant to distinguish different sounds and meanings of various words and letters, according to language experts.

Unveiling the new invention in Lagos, Oluwole said the keyboard, which has already gone into commercial production, would hit the Nigerian market in May. The keyboard will be marketed by Lagos Analysis Corporation (LANCOR).

He said he, along with another U.S. based Nigerian, Mr. Ade Oyegbola, President, LANCOR and Mr. George Van-Lare, MD, LANCOR, spent about eight years on extensive research before they completed the project.

Oluwole noted that Ambassador Yusuf Usman, Ciroma of Kastina, Chairman of LANCOR, made significant input in providing the Hausa autography of the project.

"We consulted extensively at home and abroad, especially with experts at Nigerian Institute of Languages in Aba, Nigerian universities and those involved with the Nigerian Type Writer Project, notably Dr. Victor Manfredi, Professor of Linguistics at Boston University, whom we also consulted for Nigerian autography.

"We initially thought of only the three major Nigerian languages, but had to go beyond that to cover every language group in Nigeria when we realised that it was feasible," he stated.

According to him, the new keyboard christened KONYIN--Yoruba for "drop of honey" - accommodates all the alphabets in local Nigerian languages as well as four major currency symbols, including the Naira sign.

"This keyboard does not change the way you type and it is also Nigerian-specific," he added. It is a physical keyboard, not a virtual keyboard that is only uni-language specific. We have a country specific keyboard.

"There are virtual keyboards that try to emulate a physical keyboard but this is not a practical solution. For the first time in electronic history, we now have a Nigerian keyboard with which you can mix English with any Nigerian language(s) in the same document," he siad.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200504210401.html

http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/en/issue-no-254/digtool/nigerian-engineer-in/en

Africa's Top Cement Manufacturer Nigeria Achieves Self Sufficiency - Seeks Export Markets

Local manufacturers meeting Nigeria’s cement demand – CMAN

On August 24, 2012 · In Business
12:25 am

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

Nigeria has not imported cement since the beginning of the year as a result of increased output in the locally manufactured product which as at date, outstripped the needs of the local market, Engr Joseph Makoju, Chairman, Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria CMAN, has revealed.

Besides, cement manufacturers have also set an output growth of 56.25 per cent to 20 million tonnes, up from about 12.8 million in 2011, he added.

Making the revelation when he led a delegation of cement manufacturers on an official visit to the Ministry of Works, Makoju explained that the feat achieved this year was made possible through improved investments in plants and other operational inputs.

Consequently, he said the country which has a total installed capacity of about 28 million tonnes yearly can now look for the export markets for exploration in cement sales.

“The projected output is about 25 million tonnes more than the current local demand of about 17.5 million. In 2002, total local cement production was only two million tonnes and in that year, we were talking about a local demand of eight million. Importation was at its peak.

“As we are speaking here today, I am happy to report that last year, total local production has gone to 12.8 million tonnes in 2011 from two million in 2002 and as we are meeting here today, we are projecting that total local production this year will be 19-20 million tonnes,” he said.

“The total local demand is projected at 17 million tonnes. So, the local production is in excess of local demand. I am so happy to say that for the first time in our history, from January till date, there has been no importation of cement into the country.

“We are now in a situation of where we don’t need to depend on imports but on local production. The total installed capacity, when you put all the total local production together today; we have 28 million tonnes of installed capacity.

“So, Nigeria has arrived to be recognised as a cement producing country. Now, that is why we believe that this success story can be leveraged on to impact on another problem area of the country, which is bad road network.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/08/l...t-demand-cman/

Tougher than BRICs

The 11 "3G" Countries That Will Win The Future


Karen Maley

The global economy is poised to enjoy decades of robust growth, as a number of [developing] countries play "catch-up" to the rich industrialised countries in terms of income and living standards, according to Citigroup’s global chief economist, Willem Buiter.

In a major new report, Global Growth Generators, Buiter nominates 11 countries that are most likely to drive global growth – and generate profitable investment opportunities – over coming decades.

These '3G' countries are Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Mongolia, Nigeria, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

The six components of the index are (1) a measure of domestic saving/ investment, (2) a measure of demographic prospects, (3) a measure of health, (4) a measure of education, (5) a measure of the quality of institutions and policies, and (6) a measure of trade openness.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/wille...#ixzz1F7Afbk00


As well, Buiter says that other countries, such as Mexico, Brazil, Turkey and Thailand, will likely enjoy rapid growth. But these countries need to make some economic adjustments, including boosting their domestic savings and investment levels, before they qualify for the 3G list....

Turkey Moves to Invest Massively in Nigeria’s Steel Sector

http://www.thisdayonline.com/

The Turkish government has stated that the observed boom in the Nigerian economy encouraged them to bring investors to channel funds into steel production in the country.

To this end, a high-powered Turkish business delegation has held an executive business parley with their Nigerian counterparts to seek ways of promoting trade between Nigeria and Turkey, especially in steel and industry.

Speaking at the business parley in Lagos, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Economy, representing the Turkish government, Mr. Yavuz Ozutku, said the business delegation comprising Turkish steel manufacturers and exporters is in Nigeria because of the good relation between the two countries.

“Just two weeks ago there was a Turkish exhibition in Lagos. And now we are here with the Turkish Steel manufacturers and exporters. Steel is an important product for us. Last year, steel and iron was number one in our exports to Nigeria. This is because Nigeria has a booming economy and in such an economy construction is the most important sector,” he said.

The delegation representing 21 leading companies across Turkey and Europe, which came under the auspices of Turkish Steel Exporters’ Association, is led by its board chairman, Mr. Namık Ekinci.

Nigeria to commence production of heavy equipment, spare parts this year

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index...ess&Itemid=562


THE country may commence production of heavy equipment and spare parts before the end of the year, courtesy of a recent approval given to the venture by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

Already, the Bauchi State government has ceded the old Steyr manufacturing facility in the state capital to the National Agency for Science and Engineering (NASENI) for the project.

NASENI’s acting Director-General, Dr. Mohammed Haruna, who made the disclosures in an interview with NAN yesterday, however, said the project is awaiting the take-off funding from the Federal Government.

He said the approval given by FEC covers heavy equipment fabrication and spare parts production, “but due to paucity of funds, the take-off of the institution had been hampered”.

“We are glad to announce that the current Governor of Bauchi State has graciously donated to the agency the production facilities, workshops and with additional funding support for the institute.

“The idea of siting it in Bauchi was to support the military in manufacturing of heavy equipment and components, spare parts for their armour and equipment and at the same time, produce equipment and component that will reduce importation."

He said the facility would also facilitate the industrial development of the North-Eastern part of Nigeria in particular and the nation in general.

The Steyr manufacturing facility is located in Bauchi and was used for assembly of motor vehicles, agricultural tractors, trucks, buses and motorcycles.

Largest Container Terminal in Africa Underway in Nigeria



Port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. has bagged a new contract to develop and run a major container terminal in Nigeria’s Lagos Free Trade Zone that is expected to be the largest terminal in sub-Saharan Africa once operational in 2016.

ICTSI is expected to invest over $225 million in this project, thus raising its stake in Africa. The Philippine company currently has operations in Madagascar, making Nigeria its second market in the region.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Friday, ICTSI said it had signed a sub-concession agreement with Lekki Port LFTZ (LPLE) for a container terminal at a deep water port in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos also called Tolaram Port@Lekki, which is envisioned to be a world class, modern multi-purpose port that will serve not only Nigeria but also its neighboring countries.

In a separate statement, ICTSI said it would invest in excess of $225 million to provide cargo handling equipment and related information technology infrastructure. This investment forms part of the $1.4 billion being invested in the entire port development.

The Tolaram Port@Lekki is currently being developed and managed by the Tolaram group in partnership with the Nigerian Port Authority and the Lagos State Government.

The agreement grants ICTSI, as sub-concessionaire, the exclusive right to develop and operate as well as to provide certain handling equipment and container terminal services within Tolaram Port@Lekki for a period of 21 years.

“ICTSI is looking forward to entering the regional market with this eminent project, Lekki International Container Terminal Services (LICTS). This new concession will reinforce ICTSI’s presence in Africa and sets the standard for infrastructure developments in Africa,” ICTSI chair Enrique Razon Jr. said during the concession signing ceremony in Singapore.

The strategic location of the container terminal, combined with its state-of-the-art facilities, will enable Tolaram Port@Lekki to establish itself as the preferred port terminal in the region,” ICTSI said in the disclosure.

With a quay of 1,200 meters, this modern facility is expected to become the largest single terminal in sub-Saharan Africa.

ICTSI is a leading port management company involved in the operations and development of 24 marine terminals and port projects in 17 countries. It was among the first international terminal operators to expand globally, establishing a good track record in various economies privatizing port operations.
http://business.inquirer.net/76123/i...geria-terminal

Commercial coal mining commences in Kogi

Thursday, 24 May 2012
Mathias Okwe, Abuja


AT last, mining of coal in commercial quantity has commenced at the Zuma site, located in Okobo/ Enejema Communities in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The development may have brightened hopes for the achievement of the Federal Government’s target of 30 per cent power generation from coal, to produce 10,000 mega watts of electricity by 2015.

Until now, mining activities in the vast coal fields of Kogi State have been on a small scale, mostly by artisan miners.

The coal deposit site alone is expected to generate about 1000 mega watts of electricity, to be linked to the national grid, sold to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and small house-holds, according to the Chairman of Western Goldmines, Dr. Innocent Ezuma, the indigenous investor exploiting coal at the Zuma mining field.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Musa Mohammed Sada, in company of the Governor of Kogi State, Capt. Idris Wada, visited the mining site and expressed optimism that government’s target was realisable, giving the quantum of coal already produced and the level of ongoing exploration and mining activities.

He said: ''I am impressed by what I have seen here. It gives us hope that we would realize our target of 10,000 Mega watts of electricity by 2015.'' Under the energy source power mix, coal has been assigned the task of generating 30 per cent while gas and hydro are to account for the balance of 70 per cent.

“Mr. President is up-beat about this. That’s why I am here because we believe this is the kind of investment that would lead us to the realisation of our 2015 target. Our doors remain open to this investor and others whose operations will complement government’s efforts in the realisation of our energy goals as well as employment generation

“The purpose of mineral exploitation is to ensure that the people in whose place the mineral is located derive the benefits of its exploitation through the upgrade of their livelihood, employment creation for them and other social amenities, while government too benefits from the taxes to be paid by the investors and workers alike.

“I therefore, implore the communities in which this mining activity is located and the Kogi State government to cooperate with the investor to ensure the project’s sustainability. It is also an opportunity for the state and the community to invest in the company so that you can become part owners of the investment.”

The Kogi State Executive Governor, Capt. Idris Wada who also expressed delight at the investment assured of the State’s cooperation and support to ensure the sustainability of the investment.

He declared the state’s willingness to partner with the investor by investing in the company and called on the host community to cooperate with the investor by not taking the laws into their hands in the event of any disagreement but to report any issue in contention to the state government.

“I want to implore the host community to cooperate with the investor. Be patient with him because it takes time for investment to grow. We are there at Lokoja and our doors are open. If there be any issues that are n contention with the investor, don’t take the laws into your hands, report to us and we would hand it in the best way possible,” he added.

He pledged the immediate provision of a cottage hospital with full medical team; a water treatment plant for potable water and the relocation and upgrade of a primary school in the area for the benefit of the host community as a mark of his support for the investment and called on more investors to patronise the state.

Earlier, the Chairman of Western Goldfields, Dr. Innocent Ezuma described the coal being mined at the site as being of the best quality in the world and is expected to be used for power generation at the Zuma Power Plant at Itobe, in Kogi State as well as for supplies to other interest that may have need for it.

He said already, the investment has provided over 300 direct jobs, with a projection of raising it to 5000 in the next two years.

Nigeria did not build or launch the first satellite in Africa

Buy Nigeria: Law makers approve INNOSON vehicles for official use


On March 1, 2012 · In Motoring 1:52 am
BY TOMMY ANADUAKA

THE House of Representatives Committee on local content has approved the use of INNOSON vehicles for its official activities. The approval was endorsed by the law makers after visiting the motor plant at Nnewi, Anambra State.

Chairman of the House Committee on local content, Hon. Asita said they came to verify the level of local input in Innoson vehicles which is part of their official responsibilities. He said that they were happy to discover that more than half of the auto components were locally produced and urged Nigerians to patronise the company.

“The Innoson Motor Plant at Nnewi is a huge honour to Nigeria. What is going on at Nnewi is an amazing feat which needs to be encouraged. This is not an assembly plant, but a full production site where Nigerian auto engineers are exhibiting their skills. We saw them and felt extremely impressed that such a marvellous feat is existing in the country.”

He, therefore, stated that the committee would support Innoson by using its buses in carrying out official activities. “The high standard of Innoson vehicles has made us to endorse it for our jobs. We have resolved to make it an official vehicle for the assembly.”

The Chairman also praised the vision of the company chairman Chief, Dr. Innocent Chukwuma, saying that his ingenuity has added value to the manufacturing sector.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/03/b...-official-use/

BlackBaron: Nigeria did not build or launch the first satellite in Africa

Nigerians built the first modern satellite constructed by native Africans.

Just like they're building the first modern vehicles constructed by native Africans. (See INNOSON Motors)

Go do some homework child, then come back to defend that point. Infact, go do research on nig-sat x and you'll discover who actually built it.

Rossikk:

Nigerians built the first modern satellite constructed by native Africans.

Just like they're building the first modern vehicles constructed by native Africans. (See INNOSON Motors)

Innoson is an 'assembly' plant not that it's taking any shine off their achievement.

The Next, Next Global Superpowers: Why Africa Is Rising

The AtlanticBy contributors@theatlantic.com (Jim O'Neill) | The Atlantic – Thu, Dec 15, 2011 8:40 AM EST

As Brazil, Russia, India and China (the BRICs) grapple with their new-found power, it's time to look out for an economic and population boom out of Africa's largest countries, especially Nigeria and Egypt.

Demography is destiny, goes the saying, which if true makes Africa an even hotter prospect. In 2011 the United Nations published its revised estimates for the world's population in 2100. Asia will be home to 60 percent of the world's population, as it is today. But Africa will swell. Between 1975 and 2000, it grew from 416 to 811 million. By 2025, it will reach 1.4 billion and by 2100 a remarkable 2.2 billion.

Overall, the African countries lurk near the bottom of our 180-country growth environment scores [a.k.a. GES, Goldman's measure of a country's long-term growth potential] and need to make a lot more progress across the board if they are to achieve their economic potential. Nigeria, though, has shown what can be done.

Nigeria is critical to Africa with around 20 percent of the continent's population. By 2100, Nigeria's population could well be bigger than that of the United States. It has a group of politicians who seem determined to weed out the terrible corruption that has restricted its growth for so long. And, while its GES is the third lowest of the N-11 group* it has nearly doubled in the last thirteen years. A repeat of this over the next thirteen would have Nigeria well in its way to delivering its potential.

In this it will be aided by the technological leaps that are now possible. All over Africa, mobile wireless technology is enabling the rapid development of basic services like education and banking. If this continues and expands, countries like Nigeria may be able to grow at an unprecedented rate, skipping once necessary stages of development. This could be a very positive story in the years to come, and is yet another reminder that the world is about far more than stumbling growth in the United States and Western Europe.

Even small improvements in the growth environment can have an enormous impact on a country's growth trajectory, and we estimated that Nigeria's efforts had helped lift its growth rate by 2 percent. If it could raise its GES to best- in- class levels, it could raise this growth rate by another 4 percent, a massive premium. Of course, there are many variables at work here, but the important point is that the rise of Africa's middle class, when coupled with greater transparency and openness, and an improved environment for economic growth, could lead to one of the great economic stories in the coming years.

Excerpted from The Growth Map: Economic Opportunity in the BRICs and Beyond, by Jim O'Neill and published by Portfolio/Penguin, 2011.

@Poster...your efforts to collate all this "nice" stories are good and commendable. In spite of all these "good" news, Nigeria remains the JOKE among poorer countries of the world and even the richer and more influential countries. The reason is this: even if you cook the BEST meals, the aroma is second to none, it is so good and nutritious BUT you serve it in the stinkiest toilet you can find, people would rather drink water and pass. No one would even commend or notice all the great work you have been doing.

This is an analogy for Nigeria at present. In recent memory till date, several countries have shown they don't care about and even insulted the country. You can't spin this one: South Africa, Israel, Malawi, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, etc. Some countries are more "covert" about their distrust and disdain for Nigeria and make you line up long hours in their embassy in Nigeria to get a visa, collect your visa fees running into millions and don't even issue a visa to most applicants: US, UK, Canada, etc, etc. What is more important? All these "technology leadership" you mention or to fix the fundamentals: CORRUPTION, improve Nigeria's image and perception abroad by developing our health infrastructure so Nigerian leaders are not running abroad to die in their hospitals, fix roads, power, elevate standards of living, etc; elect a Nigerian leader with the skills and will to improve Nigeria's foreign policy and who any leader can respect as a colleague and can hold his own intellectually? Which ONE is easier and more expedient? Guess what? When these things are done, the paltry list of "technological leadership" you have up here will multiply several folds but more importantly, countries will begin to respect Nigeria and Nigerians. Don't put the cart before the horse!

There is no invention you mentioned that the world will pay any attention to so far as the people associated with it are viewed as corrupt, dishonest, scammers, etc. Perception is everything! Which is easier: to fix corruption and dishonesty on our system or invent a solution to a problem NO other country has ever done in the world? Is there a new research or knowledge or discovery that will be required to get our leadership to work? Get power to run 24/7? Build hospitals, water infrastructure, agriculture and get honest people to be in charge? Is there any of these things that has never been done anywhere else? Rhetorical questions for all these things are not rocket science! Even the scriptures say: wash the inside of the cup and outside shall be clean ALSO! This is instructive and the way to put the horse before the cart. I had an argument over a previous thread along similar lines and it is clear to any intelligent leader that the world cares less about Nigeria even if it leads the whole technology world tomorrow morning BECAUSE they don't care! They think you are rogues, corrupt, liars, cheats, all running away from the hell-hole you lived in, why should they ever believe you?

FINALLY, know that I write from experience! Nigerian are smart, VERY smart indeed! They know that....they know we are at their best institutions, make discoveries, publish papers, build things BUT you have to prove yourself as an INDIVIDUAL before you gain that respect. This will be to a few people you work with or know you personality. The several hundreds, thousands or millions who you might interact with through your green passport suspect you as soon as you show up. My other countries passport makes my life easy...Naija passport only when you arrive or depart Lagos. If I needed help at a foreign embassy, which passport would I present to them? Not Nigerian of course, otherwise you become even more suspect. This is the real issue and no need to keep deceiving yourself and gullible people who cannot see the whole picture. I am NOT buying one dime of these technologies you listed and the world AIN'T buying it either!

BlackBaron: Go do some homework child, then come back to defend that point. Infact, go do research on nig-sat x and you'll discover who actually built it.


Innoson is an 'assembly' plant not that it's taking any shine off their achievement.

You're wrong. INNOSON is a vehicle manufacturing plant. You should conduct research before posting. As for Nig Sat, the Chinese media and BBC reports I posted stated very clearly that Nigerian scientists built the satellite.

Rossikk:

You're wrong. INNOSON is a vehicle manufacturing plant. You should conduct research before posting. As for Nig Sat. The Chinese media BBC report I posted stated very clearly that Nigerians built the satellite.

I will not engage in 'circular' arguments especially when a grown asss man does not know the difference between 'vehicle manufacturing' and an 'assembly plant'.

CyberG: @Poster...your efforts to collate all this "nice" stories are good and commendable. In spite of all these "good" news, Nigeria remains the JOKE among poorer countries of the world and even the richer and more influential countries. The reason is this: even if you cook the BEST meals, the aroma is second to none, it is so good and nutritious BUT you serve it in the stinkiest toilet you can find, people would rather drink water and pass. No one would even commend or notice all the great work you have been doing.

This is an analogy for Nigeria at present. In recent memory till date, several countries have shown they don't care about and even insulted the country. You can't spin this one: South Africa, Israel, Malawi, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, etc. Some countries are more "covert" about their distrust and disdain for Nigeria and make you line up long hours in their embassy in Nigeria to get a visa, collect your visa fees running into millions and don't even issue a visa to most applicants: US, UK, Canada, etc, etc. What is more important? All these "technology leadership" you mention or to fix the fundamentals: CORRUPTION, improve Nigeria's image and perception abroad by developing our health infrastructure so Nigerian leaders are not running abroad to die in their hospitals, fix roads, power, elevate standards of living, etc; elect a Nigerian leader with the skills and will to improve Nigeria's foreign policy and who any leader can respect as a colleague and can hold his own intellectually? Which ONE is easier and more expedient? Guess what? When these things are done, the paltry list of "technological leadership" you have up here will multiply several folds but more importantly, countries will begin to respect Nigeria and Nigerians. Don't put the cart before the horse!

There is no invention you mentioned that the world will pay any attention to so far as the people associated with it are viewed as corrupt, dishonest, scammers, etc. Perception is everything! Which is easier: to fix corruption and dishonesty on our system or invent a solution to a problem NO other country has ever done in the world? Is there a new research or knowledge or discovery that will be required to get our leadership to work? Get power to run 24/7? Build hospitals, water infrastructure, agriculture and get honest people to be in charge? Is there any of these things that has never been done anywhere else? Rhetorical questions for all these things are not rocket science! Even the scriptures say: wash the inside of the cup and outside shall be clean ALSO! This is instructive and the way to put the horse before the cart. I had an argument over a previous thread along similar lines and it is clear to any intelligent leader that the world cares less about Nigeria even if it leads the whole technology world tomorrow morning BECAUSE they don't care! They think you are rogues, corrupt, liars, cheats, all running away from the hell-hole you lived in, why should they ever believe you?

FINALLY, know that I write from experience! Nigerian are smart, VERY smart indeed! They know that....they know we are at their best institutions, make discoveries, publish papers, build things BUT you have to prove yourself as an INDIVIDUAL before you gain that respect. This will be to a few people you work with or know you personality. The several hundreds, thousands or millions who you might interact with through your green passport suspect you as soon as you show up. My other countries passport makes my life easy...Naija passport only when you arrive or depart Lagos. If I needed help at a foreign embassy, which passport would I present to them? Not Nigerian of course, otherwise you become even more suspect. This is the real issue and no need to keep deceiving yourself and gullible people who cannot see the whole picture. I am NOT buying one dime of these technologies you listed and the world AIN'T buying it either!

Drown in your depression and negativity. You seem to think nations magically transform overnight without first making strides in commerce and technology. I think you're the one putting the cart before the horse. Sit still there while the nation moves.

BlackBaron:
I will not engage in 'circular' arguments especially when a grown asss man does not know the difference between 'vehicle manufacturing' and an 'assembly plant'.

How many minutes of your life have you spent researching INNOSON Motors?

Nigerian tower firm eyes East Africa

BDA


Safaricom and Telkom Kenya’s infrastructure sharing plan could get a boost following an announcement by Nigerian telecommunication towers company IHS that it is seeking Sh18 billion ($200 million) to finance its expansion strategy.

The Financial Times newspaper reported Monday that the mobile phone towers builder, which rents out its infrastructure, had appointed Citibank to raise the extra equity it needs to grow beyond Nigeria.

IHS said it was targeting lease contracts with East African market telecommunication operators.

The firm said it was eyeing Kenya, Uganda Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa in its new bid to increase footprint after a successful bid in Tanzania that saw it enter into a lease back contract with Tigo of Tanzania and Millicom of DRC.

It comes at a time Safaricom and Telkom Kenya are negotiating tower sharing deal that will see the two firms hand over their current infrastructure to an independent operator in a cost-cutting move. “Voice penetration is about 60 per cent across Africa but real penetration is about 10-15 per cent less than that. So there will be a massive growth in voice traffic that will need building to ensure more capacity, while data use is almost non-existent and will grow rapidly,” CEO Issam Darwish was quoted saying by the FT.

The firm, which is West Africa’s largest telecommunications infrastructure provider, wants to increase the number of mobile phone towers it owns to 2,000 next year from its current 850, according to the report.

Some of the money will also be used to buy towers that are being sold by companies such as France Telecom in Uganda, the newspaper said.

Mr Darwish put the total value of the African tower market at around $50 billion and estimated that Africa requires another 50,000 masts for voice and traffic data.

Rossikk:

Drown in your depression and negativity. You seem to think nations magically transform overnight without first making strides in commerce and technology. I think you're the one putting the cart before the horse.

LOL...you make no sense idi.ot! What stupid strides are you talking about? Your head is so up in your ass your brains have dissolved in your ass! How can a poor, corrupt, consumerist, unindustrialized country make any strides in technology? It doesn't matter what you 40 lapgogs think, the world is not buying your crap and most sensible Nigerians are not. How hard is it to tell yourselves the cold hard truth, deal with it and the country can gain the respect of the world? A country that does not respect itself cannot gain any respect. All this your nonsense is BS....a leaking basket will never fetch water...that is why Nigeria has been retrogressing since the 70s. I think you just came from the village and so you are clueless of what is really happening. All this nonsense of technologies you mentioned are in front of ME here, I see them everyday...they don't even capture the attention of progressive people who are busy holding their governments to account, not encouraging corruption and developing new things! The copy-copy technologies you parrot without any patent ownerships is pitiable. It shows you are clueless and uneducated! LOL

MORGAN STANLEY ON NIGERIAN GROWTH CHARGE

The global financial services firm Morgan Stanley has released a report which says that Nigeria's economy is on a growth charge and could reach South Africa's current GDP levels of some $400 billion before the close of the decade, and overtake it by 2025. ABN's lerato Mbele speaks with Andrea Masia, Associate Economist at Morgan Stanley.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi8EqEkdcrI&feature=player_embedded#!

CyberG:

LOL...you make no sense idi.ot! What stupid strides are you talking about? Your head is so up in your ass your brains have dissolved in your ass! How can a poor, corrupt, consumerist, unindustrialized country make any strides in technology? It doesn't matter what you 40 lapgogs think, the world is not buying your crap and most sensible Nigerians are not. How hard is it to tell yourselves the cold hard truth, deal with it and the country can gain the respect of the world? A country that does not respect itself cannot gain any respect. All this your nonsense is BS....a leaking basket will never fetch water...that is why Nigeria has been retrogressing since the 70s. I think you just came from the village and so you are clueless of what is really happening. All this nonsense of technologies you mentioned are in front of ME here, I see them everyday...they don't even capture the attention of progressive people who are busy holding their governments to account, not encouraging corruption and developing new things! The copy-copy technologies you parrot without any patent ownerships is pitiable. It shows you are clueless and uneducated! LOL

Let's agree to disagree on all points. Thanks for your contribution.

Indorama to Build $1.8bn Fertiliser Plants in Port Harcourt

16 May 2011


Indorama Corporation, the core investor in Eleme Petroche-micals Company Limited (EPCL), has completed arrangements to build world-class fertiliser and methanol plants for over $1.8 billion (N275 billion) at their complex in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The plants are expected to commence production in 2014-2015.

Chairman of Indorama Group, Mr. S. P Lohia, broke the news to President Goodluck Jonathan and the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deizani Alison-Madueke, when he paid a courtesy visit to the president in Abuja yesterday, THISDAY has learnt.
The Managing Director of Indorama-EPCL, Mr. Manish Mundra, confirmed the development, adding that the projects would help the company to achieve its vision of building Africa’s largest petrochemicals hub in Nigeria.
He said the company would soon announce the project formally. THISDAY however learnt that the company had completed preliminary plans on the project, which is expected to deliver over one million metric tons of ammonia and urea fertilisers annually.
“This is going to be one of the biggest Urea complexes in Africa,” the source said.

Industry players are said to be excited over the development as the Indorama initiative is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs and produce fertilisers to boost the nation’s agricultural and industrial sectors.
Currently, much of the nation’s fertiliser needs are imported.

In 2006, Indorama Group invested $400 million to acquire and resuscitate the comatose Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited, which was a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Within three months, it concluded extensive turn-around maintenance (TAM) of the plants and commenced production of polyethylene and polypropylene, which had hitherto been imported into the country by manufacturers of plastics products.
The company’s second TAM was done in February 2010. Today the company is producing at near 100 per cent capacity and meeting the needs of the local plastics industry, which uses the petrochemicals products as raw materials. The company’s surplus production is channelled into exports. Last year, Indorama-EPCL won the Presidential Award for Exports, organised by the Nigerian Export Promotions Council (NEPC).

When contacted, Mr. Jossy Nkwocha, special adviser to the Managing Director and head of Corporate Communications of the company, said: “In the past five years, Indorama-EPCL has contributed immensely to the economy of Nigeria in various ways. Our company has created employment opportunities (both direct and indirect) for many Nigerians, especially those from the Niger Delta region and the host communities in particular. Indeed, currently, the company has a total of 650 Nigerian employees and more than 600 others employed by contractors working for the company.”

According to him, EPCL has paid more than N11 billion to the government in taxes such as value added tax (VAT), Customs duty, with-holding taxes, and pay-as-you earn (PAYE) and has also paid to date a dividend of over N23 billion to its shareholders, including the NNPC, the Rivers State Government, and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), which holds shares on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Nkwocha added that EPCL under Indorama has helped Nigeria to save more than $1 billion in foreign exchange through import substitution and has turned Nigeria into a net exporter of petrochemicals products and has indeed achieved 10 per cent of Nigeria’s total non-oil exports.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/indorama-to-build-1-8bn-fertiliser-plants-in-ph/91441/

Rossikk:

Let's agree to disagree on all points. Thanks for your contribution.

Okay. I acknowledge your efforts too.

Nigeria leads Africa’s Internet speed rankings

Thursday, 23 August 2012



WITH an average speed of 322kbps, and a peak rate of 5,674kbps, Nigeria has been ranked as the country with the fastest Internet speed in Africa.

According to latest Internet publication by Akamai Technologies Global Internet Platform, Nigeria has surpassed South Africa in terms of speed.

The body explained that Nigeria has an average connection speed of 322kbps with a peak rate of 5674kbps. But while South Africa’s average speed is faster at 496kbps, the country’s peak speed is only half that of Nigeria, at 2172kbps.

The report stressed that all mobile providers have average peak connection speed of over two mbps, though last place South African provider, ZA-1 was just above the threshold, losing over 13 per cent from the prior quarter, at 2.2 mbps.

Furthermore, the report noted that in 2011, South Africa was one of only two countries listed in the report with an average peak connection speed of below two mbps. It explained that South Africa had average 442kbps over Nigeria’s 286kbps. It said Nigeria has now surpassed South Africa with peak 4871kbps and average 462mbps per month.

The report also stated that Internet speed across the globe improved, adding that all 117 countries that qualified for inclusion measured an increase in average connection speeds.

According to it, the gain in average speed however was not uniform, as Montenegro grew by 0.2 per cent to 2.8 mbps, while Libya measured a 75 per cent increase for a speed of 0.5 mbps....


http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=96415:nigeria-leads-africas-internet-speed-rankings&catid=31:business&Itemid=562




Internet Access in Nigeria Set to Triple by 2013


Internet access in Nigeria is set to triple in the next two years, Reuters reports. According to Funke Opeke, C.E.O. of the Main One Cable Company, a leading West African submarine cable company which has laid a 7,000 km fibre optic cable linking West Africa to Europe “at least one in three people in Nigeria could have direct Internet access by 2013. We would say a number in the 35-40 percent for Internet access penetration over the next 18-24 months would be a worthwhile objective.” In a nation of about 150 million people, this portends strong prospects for web based businesses.

The market potential in Nigeria is huge. Already, the mobile phone subscription market in the country is the continent’s largest with South Africa’s MTN Group, India’s Bharti Airtel, Abu Dhabi based Etisalat and Nigeria’s Globacom serving as key industry players. As of May this year, the country’s telecommunications regulator estimated that there were 80 million plus mobile phone subscribers. At the same time, mobile Internet is quickly becoming the platform of choice for young Internet users in the country. A survey conducted by Opera in its State of the Mobile Web report last year revealed that 90% of Nigerian Internet users between the ages of 18-27 said they use their mobile phones more than desktop or laptop computers to access the Internet.

“We have a large young population, if you think of all the students in tertiary education and if you think of businesses which are not yet fully automated. If access now becomes more available and prices are within reach then all of those groups stand to benefit and would enable the attainment of 35 to 40 percent number, which we believe will have significant impact on the economy,” Opeke said.

Web based services especially those with a strong mobile component appear poised to experience a boon in the next two years given these projections. It would be interesting to monitor Nigeria’s web start up scene as more entrepreneurs respond to the favourable growth rates in the country’s Internet market.

For more on Nigeria’s Internet market, read this interview with Nigerian Internet entrepreneur/former NBA player, Obinna Ekezie.
http://thenextweb.com/africa/2011/06...riple-by-2013/