FG, Britain to partner on research and development

Ayodele Adesanmi, Abuja - 25.02.2008

The Federal Government and Britain have agreed to partner on commercialisation of research and development (R&D) results for industrial development of the country.

The partnership would centre on tripartite alliance involving the United Kingdom , the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, universities and the industrial sector.

The resolution came on the heels of a high- powered meeting between officials of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology led by the minister, Mrs Grace Ekpiwhre and that of the British Council led by its Director, Peter Upton and the visiting adviser to the United Kingdom Government Department, Professor Christopher Nwabgaso.

At the end of the meeting, the British Council agreed to assist the ministry surmount the impediments preventing industries from converting R&D results of the agencies for industrial use.

The council would also assist parastatals of the ministry in the area of human capacity development. The aim is to allow Nigeria tap from the enormous British Science, Technology and Innovation System (ST&I) reservoir of experience and know-how.

Mrs Ekpiwhre had, at the meeting, spoken of the resolve of the ministry to reposition the ST&I system to propel the Nigerian economy towards vision 2020.

In a bid to improve quality of R&D efforts of the ministry’s parastatals and strengthen their ability to contribute to economic growth, the Minister said a Peer Review Mechanism had been set up alongside the establishment of the Presidential standing Committee on Inventions and Innovations.

Other measures, she added, were the initiation of Nigerian-Unesco Programme for the Reform and Revitalization of Nigeria’s National Science, Technology and Innovation System, adding that a Public- Private Partnership (PPP) Scheme had also been initiated by the parastatals of the ministry.

Mrs Ekpiwhre assured the British experts that the on-going reforms and restructuring of the ministry would be vigorously pursued to allow the parastatals ample freedom to raise funds and be in charge of their own government.