SEFAGO:

Awesome this news just made my day



[s]But as usual this news is just to boost Jonathans image as per beaf[/s]

[size=14pt]FG pledges 1% of GDP to R& [/size]

Abuja (WorldStage Newsonline)-- The Federal Government of Nigeria on Thursday said at least one per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would be devoted to research and development in the short term.
President Goodluck Jonathan who disclosed this in Abuja during the opening ceremony of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) 10th Biennial Techno-Exposition 2011, added that, “as a general policy, rural science and technology development centres will be established in all states, along with new regional centres and science parks. These centres will be equipped with all needed facilities for both training and specialized work”.

The President who was represented by Mohammed Abubakar, Minister of Science and Technology also hinted that his administration would pay special attention to the development of information and communication technology, engineering, infrastructure, nanotechnology and biotechnology in recognition of their role in the industrialization process.

He stressed that: “We shall build on the achievement of our space programme and pursue with vigour the development of nuclear technology to provide the much needed energy that will drive the industrial sector.”

Jonathan further disclosed that his administration would collaborate with the private sector and provide it with the necessary incentives to partner with government at various levels in order to drive the programme.

The President maintained that government was fully aware of the potential of Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in local content development, insisting that his administration is committed to creating a more conducive environment for the development of strong and viable MSMEs which forms the bedrock for industrial development.

According to him, “To ensure the growth of these MSMSEs, this administration is investing heavily in the power sector, as it is currently the major bottle neck hindering industrial activities and the development of our industries.”

The president said the government was at this critical point of the nation’s history determined to create a private sector-led economy that would leverage on the nations resources to achieve sustainable economic development.

He posited that the nation’s “ability to transform the locally available raw materials into products which are acceptable and globally competitive is crucial if we must be self sufficient. Value addition is therefore a vital component of the nation’s overall strategy for achieving global competitiveness reduction for post harvest losses and ensuring food security.”

Representing the Minister at the occasion, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Science and Technology, Dere Awosika bemoaned that one of the challenges of achieving national economic development is the low level of the local content in the industrial outputs in term of the requisite raw, materials, process equipment and machinery as well as human capacity.

This situation he said was caused partly by lack of local technological capacity which translates to poor capacity utilization resulting in job losses, unemployment and poverty.

He noted that the ban on importation of certain goods into the country was meant to facilitate the development of local industries, high quality products and attendant increase in local content. This would in turn create employment and stimulate the production of intermediate raw materials, in both the agro-and mineral-sectors, in order to meet the needs of industries.

Story by Toly Timi (email - tolytimi@yahoo.com)

http://www.worldstagegroup.com/worldstage/index.php?&id=2090&active=news

eku_bear:

This doesn't make much sense, w/o basic infrastructure in Nigeria.

I implore every one of us to demand timescales, locations, financial outlays, details of the relationships between FG, research centres and states, bureaucratic structures, organisational structures etc.

SEFAGO:

@eku_bear

As alkready pointed out you need funds to start infrastructure. Also some Nigerian universities and institutes actually do perform some sort of research. Its not just the sort you see in the "developed" world