How to mainstream science, technology in nation’s economic policy

A BLUEPRINT on how to mainstream science and technology in nation’s economic policy has been given by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Prof. Robert Ajayi Boroffice.

       Boroffice who is also the founding Director General of National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) said the federal government which is now faced with dwindling resources from oil exports must re-tool its development kit and make science, technology and innovation central in it. 

     The professor of zoology from the Lagos State University (LASU) said the reform would be instrumental to diversification of Nigeria’s economy and reduce the country’s dependence on fluctuating oil prices. “Now that crude oil sells for about $55 per barrel it is timely to focus on science and situate it in the mainstream of our national economic policy,” he said.

      Boroffice added: “I am aware of the fact that a new Science and Technology Policy has been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). This policy must be backed up by law. The National Assembly will be eager to work with the Executive in subjecting the policy to public hearing of experts and come up with a law that will be clear and implementable and will catalyse growth and National development.”   

     The senator said the advantage of the Science and Technology Fund, which will be raised by the Federal Government and donors is that it will help Nigeria to break away from the tradition of spending large sum of public money on research and development. 

      Boroffice said it is estimated that a 10 per cent return on the Fund would give the country $500 million to spend on science and technology every year. He said South Africa, which is the continent’s leading science and technology spender has an annual budget of around $200 million per annum for science and technology. According to Boroffice, the total allocation to science and technology in national budget is around $10 million per annum.

    Boroffice said if the Government is serious about transforming the economy from an agrarian economy to an industrialised one and diversifying the economy from a monolithic economy, which is dependent on crude oil, it must address science and technology as a critical factor in national development programme. He said science and technology must be situated in the mainstream of the national economic policy.

       Before now, Boroffice had the privilege of engaging in science and technology system in three capacities in which he has served the nation. Firstly, he was a University teacher charged with the responsibilities of capacity building in science and technology at the tertiary level of education and conducting research in science and technology thus contributing to the extension of frontiers of knowledge. 

     Secondly, Boroffice had the privilege of being the Coordinating – Director of Science in the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for eight years and then the pioneer Director-General of NASRDA from 1999 to 2008.

    He played a major role in developing Nigeria’s National programmes in Information and Communication technology (ICT) with the establishment of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Biotechnology for national development with the establishment of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) and NASRDA.

      Thirdly, Boroffice is currently serving as Chairman of Senate Committee on Science and Technology and its parastatals. His involvement in science and technology as a technocrat in government afforded me the opportunity of serving on some science and technology related United Nation (UN) organizations. These include: the United Nations Science and Technology for sustainable Development (UNSTD), a Division of United Nations Commission on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

      Boroffice said in his experience, he has seen how science and technology have been used by many countries to develop their economies and drive national development. He observed a positive correlation between industrial developments, percentation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) invested in research and development and income per capita. 

     According to him, today United States (US), Japan and the European Union are leading in Research and Development (R&D) related to economic development while Russia and United States are leading in military related to research and development in science and technology. He said other countries are migrating from the status of developing countries to new emerging economies because they have employed and adequately utilised science and technology as a tool for development. He said examples are South Korea, Brazil, Malaysia, India and China, which is the second largest economy in the world.

      Boroffice said, in Nigeria, the development of science and technology institutional framework started in 1966 at post-independence. “Since then the framework has experienced pathetic checked history of nothing less than 13 changes in the last 26 years,” he said.

     The professor of Zoology from the Lagos State University (LASU) said by decree No 83 of 1966, the Nigerian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research was established. He said in 1970 the Nigerian Council for Science and Technology was established by Decree No 6 while Decree No 83 of 1966 was repealed. 

     Boroffice said under the Nigeria Council for Science and Technology many research councils were created by various decrees to drive research and development in specialised areas of natural and applied science and technology. These councils include: Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria by Decree No 25 of 1971; Industrial Research Council of Nigeria by Decree No 33 of 1971; Medical Research Council of Nigeria by Decree No 1 of 1972; and Natural Sciences Research Council of Nigeria by Decree No 35 of 1973.

      He said the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) was established in 1977  by Decree No 5 dissolving all preceding structures. The National Council on Science and Technology Development Agency (NCSTDA) was headed by a Chairman, who is a Commissioner. “By 1979 under a new democratic dispensation the Chairman of NCSTDA was replaced by an Honourable Minister by Decree No 55,” Boroffice said.

      The zoologist further explained: “However, In 1980, the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology was established by parliamentary Act No 1 and thus dissolved NCSTDA and in 1984, the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology was merged with the Federal Ministry of Education to form the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

  “In 1992, the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology was once more dissolved and replaced with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure by Decree No 53 of 1992. In 1995, the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology was re-established as it exits till date.”