By Our Reporter

Director General of the National Board for Technology Incubation, NBTI, Dr. Kazeem Kolawole Raji, has promised to engage in the empowerment of youths in digital and technological innovations for the nation’s economic growth.

Raji, who stated this when he officially took over the mantle of leadership from the immediate past Director General, Dr. Uchenna Patricia Chukwu, in Abuja, explained that the Board remained an economic base in which the Gross Domestic Product, GDP of the country could be grown.

He said: “Presently, what we are doing is electromechanical. And I’m bringing new initiative on emerging technologies. Because when you talk about technology of today, you talk about AI, that’s artificial intelligence.

“You talk about nanotechnology. You talk about blockchain technology. And if you look at what is happening today in Nigeria, you see that a lot of our youths, if you tap their brain, they can become useful to this country and to themselves, rather than for them to engage in all those nefarious activities.

“And most importantly, we are an knowledge based economy where the frontier, top-level elites of most Nigerian youth can be put into place and help drive the economic base of Nigeria, grow our economy, increase our GDP.”

The Director General pointed out that the Board had offices in the 36 states of the Federation and 15 extensions in some states and would ensure grassroots technological advancement.

“First and foremost, let me thank His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for appointing me as the new Director General, CEO of National Board for Technology Incubation, Abuja. Presently, we have offices in 36 states of the Federation and 15 extensions in some other states. That means if you add 36 plus 15, you’d be having like 51 centers”.

“These centers are meant to advance technological innovation and skillsets for our youth to enjoy. If you look at it presently, MBTI is to establish and manage technology incubation center in Nigeria. And the skillset of most of our youth in Nigeria today, you’ll see that a lot of them come up with a lot of innovations.

“Just like very recently, last month in January, in Nigeria, an incubatee of MBTI, Mr. AbdulLateef Olaosebikan, won $1 million in a keenly contested competition in Abu Dhabi. He called that prize award as a Zaihe Sustainable Prize Award. He won it on food category.

“He competed with 5,980 other applicants all over the world. That is to tell you the kind of skillset in Nigerian youth. And that’s part of the reason why, when Mr. President said he’s going to draw water from the dry well.

“Draw water from the dry well means technology. Because the only way you can draw water from the dry well is through technology. And that technology is what I’m here to drive,” he stressed.

On proper packaging of products, Raji stated that, already, a memorandum of understanding had been signed with Kwara State Government in that regard.

“Just last week, I was in Kwara State to sign a memorandum of understanding with Kwara State government with our incubatees and post-incubatees. One of the things I discovered there is about packaging and how we can package our products so that it can rival the international products.

“Presently, we are engaging with NAFDAC and the Standard Organization of Nigeria to have that kind of quality product. Because part of the mandate of MBTI is to commercialize the research products coming out of our incubatees and National Board for Technology Incubation.

“So, I can assure you, with the caliber of people at the Standard Organization of Nigeria and NAFDAC, partnering with them, by next week or so, we’ll be engaging with them officially on how we can work together to help our entrepreneurs in packaging their products very well in view of international standards.

“You don’t have to go somewhere else to look for any product. If you see the kind of product being churn out in Kwara State, you will marvel. Just very recently, somebody came up with the idea of a trytractor.

“And the trytractor, if you see the kind of output coming from this trytractor, if you help this person to commercialize this product, imagine Nigeria as an agrarian nation and we can make use of this thing. We don’t need to go outside to go and import tractors again if we develop our own local entrepreneur. And that is the reason why I’ve always been advocating, even while I was Executive Director in Nigerian Communications Satellite, that the Executive Order 003 and 005 on ICT local content has to become an Act of Parliament.

“It’s not just an Executive Order alone. They have to become an act of Parliament so that if they become law, then Nigerians will embrace our own local technology. We don’t have to go outside to rely on foreign technology.

“And if you are working on your own local technology, you will be rest assured that the capital flight will become a thing of the past and we can shore up our foreign reserve and the fluctuation of Naira and the Exchange Rates today in Nigeria,” Raji further explained.

Earlier, the immediate past Director General of NBTI, Dr. Uchenna Patricia Chukwu said deliberate efforts were made on grassroot development.

“NBTI is an agency that goes across the whole nation, and there is a grassroots project that at the end of the day, if we are able to put in our best, people will also be able to benefit from the dividend of democracy. Thank you very much.

“I am here this morning to start the handing over process, and usually the handing over, I’m expected to have inputs from departments, units, zonal offices and centres to ensure that the handing over note is comprehensive enough for the DG, CEO, incoming.

“So, on my own part, I’ve been able to do just a kind of template that will guide the departments, the heads of units, zonal directors and centre managers for them to be able to submit their inputs.

“And that was what even delayed me a bit. Though I have it in soft copy, but for that of departments and all that, I will give them hard copy here.

“Let me also use this opportunity to welcome my brother to National Board for Technology Incubation. National Board for Technology Incubation is an agency that cuts across the whole nation, and there is a grassroots project that at the end of the day, if we are able to put in our best, our people will also be able to benefit from the dividend of democracy. Thank you very much,” Chukwu said.