The Federal Government has inaugurated a committee to carry out the assessment of submissions for the Nigeria-Czech Republic $20.5 million grant for Nigerian scientists and engineers.
The assessment is aimed at ensuring the successful take-off of projects to ignite a process of fostering growth and expansion of infrastructure, manufacturing and innovation in Nigeria, leading to Made-in-Nigeria technologies and products.
Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive NASENI, Prof. Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this in Abuja at the inauguration of committee members expected to make the final selection of beneficiaries for the Delta-2 project.
Haruna said proposals were in response to the government’s call for submission of proposals NASENI and Government of Czech Republic’s allocation of $20.5 million as grants to Nigerian researchers.
The NASENI DG, who is also co-Chair of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer/Information Exchange between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Czech Republic (PICTT), said the three focal areas for the First Phase of implementation by PICTT were Agricultural Equipment, Machinery, Production and Processing, Mining Equipment, Machinery, Production and Processing and General manufacturing with emphasis on micro, small, and medium enterprises.
Haruna said that the Delta-2 Programme is the cooperation model of the TA CR, running from 2020-2025 through which TACR sponsors applied research and innovation of manufacturing companies and innovative institutions.
He said a sum of CZK 250 million (250 million Czech Koruna, approximately equal to US$ 10.5 million) has been allocated as research fund by the Czech government and NASENI o behalf of the Nigerian government will supplement this with US$ 10 million.
According to Haruna, 284 Public Proposals for Delta-2 Programme have been submitted for screening, noting that the thematic areas for proposals are Agriculture with total proposal of 78, Mining 12, and SMEs 194.
He urged the committee members to ensure that the important projects leading to Made-in-Nigeria technologies and products are selected from the companies to transform Nigeria and to jump the industrial revolution in the country.
Speaking, chairman of PICTT, Dr. Mohammed Dahiru, said over 200 Nigeria companies so far had applied to take part in the Delta-2 project, following public call for proposal May 18, 2022.
He disclosed that the purpose of hoisting the federal government’s on-going technology transfer agreement with Czech Republic is to diversify the economy of Nigeria from oil.
According to him, the Committee’s Terms of Reference is the instrument of implementation of the MoU between the two countries, which recognises the pivotal and critical roles of the PIC and NASENI.
