Engineers harp on local technological innovations

For Nigeria to be at par with the world, engineers have been told to develop local technological innovations that could be used to solve myriads of challenges facing the country. They were also urged to harness Public Academia and Private Partnership (PAPP) and set up clearly defined data repositories for implication of research findings.

The Chief Executive Officer, Pan African Towers, Wole Abu gave the charge at the investiture of the 7th chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Victoria Island branch in Lagos. Abu said engineers should be in charge of innovation development and drive agenda for clean energy to solve power challenges facing the country.

He said engineers need to promote standardization in the measurement of food items, processing machines, and pursue policies that support start-ups in collaboration with World Bank. The authorities should internationalise government by thinking global as well as put in place tax-free incentives to encourage technological investments.

Abu who was the guest speaker at the forum who lamented that Nigeria occupies the third position on the list of the 2019 global terrorism index declared that the challenge of insecurity could be subdued if homegrown technology innovation is deployed by establishing a national emergency number 112.

“Technology and innovation drives healthcare, science, education, research, agriculture, politics, telecoms and all spheres of the economy. It simplifies tasks, saves costs, increases productivity, creates jobs, improves lives and globalises the world.

The value of technology and innovation, he said include, improve customer satisfaction, enable smarter replacement and inspection, improve fuel cost efficiency, decrease planned and unplanned maintenance, reduce required compliance activity, optimize workforce productivity, asset availability and life”.He however observed that factors hindering technological development in Nigeria, include low access to long term loans, high running costs, poor regulatory environment especially multiple taxes, permits, and bureaucracy. Others he stated are, infrastructure gap, old curriculum for engineering and technical students, inability to collaborate, and absence of the culture of continuous improvement.

In his acceptance speech, the new chairman Victoria Island branch, John Audu pledged to focus on human capacity development to position Nigerian engineers towards becoming solution providers and employers rather than perpetual job seekers. He said more emphasis would be on engendering creativity through the pervasive innovation committee; enhance welfare of members and membership drive, among others.

Earlier, the National President, the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Babagana Muhammed reiterated that the national body wouldn’t relent in supporting engineering innovations that could help solve problems in the society as engineers are expected to be problem solvers.