UNIDO to position FIIRO for superior technology impact

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has strengthened its partnership with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) to foster better technology development in Nigeria.

The collaboration aims at developing agriculture, create job opportunities for women and youths in order to end hunger and poverty. The organisations would assist FIIRO, in terms of research and development especially, to promote Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs.

United Nations (UN), Resident Coordinator, Nigeria, Ms. Fatma Samoura, said it is its aim to tackle hunger and nutritional challenges in Nigeria as well as promoting and domesticating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially responding to SDG (II), which is zero hunger in Nigeria by 2030.

Ms. Samoura commended the Institute for the wide range of products arising from a depth of technological knowledge and domesticating technologies from which other parts of Africa could learn.

Representative, UNIDO, in Nigeria, Dr. Chuma Ezedinma, said it would assist the Institute in entrepreneurship, technology development, innovation, and moving those technologies out for commercialisation.

Ezedinma said, “Our patent law has to be reviewed to be able to move certain things out for commercialisation since there are legal implications and documentations required.

“In terms of investment, we have office for investment promotion in Lagos, and want to utilise the opportunity to mobilise active investments in these areas of technology.

We have quality infrastructure programme that would develop technology and we want FIIRO to be part of the quality infrastructure, even to export technology in Nigeria. “

FIIRO, DG, Dr. Gloria Elemo said, at the visit of the global body to the Institute, it has had a fruitful working relation with United Nations and its agencies like UNIDO towards accelerating the industrialisation of the country.

Elemo informed that FIIRO has achieved a lot within its mandate to find industrial uses for all the raw materials available in the country through research and development.

Mrs. Elemo added that UNIDO’s relationship with FIIRO, dates back more than three decades in contributing to the human capital development of the institute and upgrading of its research and development and documentation facilities.

She expressed delight in the renewed, long-term partnership between FIIRO, UN and other UN agencies that are being encouraged to work with FIIRO.