oshon
February 17th, 2011, 06:53 PM
Abuja — A partnership agreement that would birth the largest science and technology park in Africa in Nigeria's capital of Abuja has been hatched between the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS).
The agreement, which was formalised at the weekend between the two bodies would lead to the transformation of a large expanse of land along the Abuja International Airport Road into the park.
Director General of NOTAP, Umar Buba Bindir, visited the General Manager of AGIS, Isa Jalo Waziri, at the AGIS headquarters in Abuja where the agreement to established the proposed science and technology park to be known as Africa Premier Innovation Corridor (APIC) was reached.
Commenting on the plan in his address at the occasion, Bindir said that NOTAP, an agency under the aegis of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) was established to implement the acquisition, promotion and development of technology and at the same time correct certain imperfections in the acquisition of foreign technology into the country.
He noted that the activities of NOTAP include facilitating the transfer of technology, registration of technology transfer agreements or contracts entered into by Nigeria entrepreneurs and monitoring of same as well as conducting linkages between and among research institutions, industry, venture capitalists and financial institutions.
According to Bindir, the objectives of establishing APIC are to enhance synergy between relevant science and technology stakeholders located in the area as well as promote the use of research and development for the benefit of the economic development of Nigeria.
Other objectives, he added are to highlight the contribution of business incubators and technology innovation in the economic and social development of Nigeria, and also to increase awareness on the role of science and technology parks in Nigeria.
Bindir listed some of the institutions that would make up the APIC as the National Stadium, the National Space Research and Development Agency, the National Biotechnology Development Agency, the African University of Science and Technology, the Abuja Technology Village Complex, the National Cancer Centre, the Nigerian Communication Satellite Ltd, and the National Defence College, among many others.
He stated that the synergy that would be generated among the above listed organizations, which are all located along the Abuja Airport Road would be sufficient to trigger the much desired science and technology based national development.
The NOTAP helmsman regretted that after fifty years of independence, Nigeria had failed to come up with neither a globally recognised company nor product originating from Nigeria indigenous technology because the national economy had not been technology driven.
Adding that NOTAP's visit to AGIS was therefore meant to engage the organization in a creative deployment of knowledge to help Nigeria grow technologically, he said, NOTAP has in the course of its operations discovered that nearly 100 per cent of technologies used in Nigeria are all imported despite our huge knowledge infrastructure of 104 legally recognised universities, 125 polytechnics and more than 500 science and technology related government agencies.
Responding, the GM of AGIS, Waziri expressed profound gratitude to the NOTAP Director General for conceptualising the establishment of APIC in Abuja and pledged his agency's readiness to partner with NOTAP to make the dream become a reality.
He said AGIS had contributed immensely to ensure that the Abuja master plan was restored, adding that the agency deployed Innovative Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategy developed in- house to curb fraud and enhance land administration in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He noted that AGIS in- house ICT capability which was fully developed by Nigerians was not only unique to the country but was also the best known technology for land administration in Africa.
Adding that AGIS was fully technology driven, he said, with the establishment of AGIS, land administration had been made easy while fraudulent activities had been effectively checked as against the pre-AGIS era.
In a statement by the NOTAPís head, public relations, Adokiye Dagogo-George, Waziri solicited NOTAP's support in the desire of AGIS to patent its breakthroughs in the deployment of ICT for land administration.
The agreement, which was formalised at the weekend between the two bodies would lead to the transformation of a large expanse of land along the Abuja International Airport Road into the park.
Director General of NOTAP, Umar Buba Bindir, visited the General Manager of AGIS, Isa Jalo Waziri, at the AGIS headquarters in Abuja where the agreement to established the proposed science and technology park to be known as Africa Premier Innovation Corridor (APIC) was reached.
Commenting on the plan in his address at the occasion, Bindir said that NOTAP, an agency under the aegis of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) was established to implement the acquisition, promotion and development of technology and at the same time correct certain imperfections in the acquisition of foreign technology into the country.
He noted that the activities of NOTAP include facilitating the transfer of technology, registration of technology transfer agreements or contracts entered into by Nigeria entrepreneurs and monitoring of same as well as conducting linkages between and among research institutions, industry, venture capitalists and financial institutions.
According to Bindir, the objectives of establishing APIC are to enhance synergy between relevant science and technology stakeholders located in the area as well as promote the use of research and development for the benefit of the economic development of Nigeria.
Other objectives, he added are to highlight the contribution of business incubators and technology innovation in the economic and social development of Nigeria, and also to increase awareness on the role of science and technology parks in Nigeria.
Bindir listed some of the institutions that would make up the APIC as the National Stadium, the National Space Research and Development Agency, the National Biotechnology Development Agency, the African University of Science and Technology, the Abuja Technology Village Complex, the National Cancer Centre, the Nigerian Communication Satellite Ltd, and the National Defence College, among many others.
He stated that the synergy that would be generated among the above listed organizations, which are all located along the Abuja Airport Road would be sufficient to trigger the much desired science and technology based national development.
The NOTAP helmsman regretted that after fifty years of independence, Nigeria had failed to come up with neither a globally recognised company nor product originating from Nigeria indigenous technology because the national economy had not been technology driven.
Adding that NOTAP's visit to AGIS was therefore meant to engage the organization in a creative deployment of knowledge to help Nigeria grow technologically, he said, NOTAP has in the course of its operations discovered that nearly 100 per cent of technologies used in Nigeria are all imported despite our huge knowledge infrastructure of 104 legally recognised universities, 125 polytechnics and more than 500 science and technology related government agencies.
Responding, the GM of AGIS, Waziri expressed profound gratitude to the NOTAP Director General for conceptualising the establishment of APIC in Abuja and pledged his agency's readiness to partner with NOTAP to make the dream become a reality.
He said AGIS had contributed immensely to ensure that the Abuja master plan was restored, adding that the agency deployed Innovative Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategy developed in- house to curb fraud and enhance land administration in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He noted that AGIS in- house ICT capability which was fully developed by Nigerians was not only unique to the country but was also the best known technology for land administration in Africa.
Adding that AGIS was fully technology driven, he said, with the establishment of AGIS, land administration had been made easy while fraudulent activities had been effectively checked as against the pre-AGIS era.
In a statement by the NOTAPís head, public relations, Adokiye Dagogo-George, Waziri solicited NOTAP's support in the desire of AGIS to patent its breakthroughs in the deployment of ICT for land administration.