“This is the foundation to the economic greatness of Nigeria,” one participant remarked after visiting the various exhibition stands at the 1st Technology / Innovation Expo 2017 taking place at the Eagles Square, Abuja between 3rd and 7th April 2017.
With an estimated over 2,000 innovative products on display from the over one hundred exhibitors at the Expo, observers have noted that the time to utilize the well-known creative ingenuity of Nigerians was now.
Promoting Innovation and technology-led Industries is one of the strategic pillars of the Economic Recovery & Growth Plan 2017 – 2020 which was launched by His Excellency President MuhammaduBuhari on Wednesday 5th April 2017 at the State House, Abuja.And this Technology/Innovation Expo 2017 organised by the Federal Ministry of Science & Technology in collaboration with the Civil Society Coalition for Made-in-Nigeria Products will has been showcasing Nigeria’s potentials.
A wide variety of innovative products were on display at the expo: from the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (aka Drone) made the Nigeria Air Force; to the miniature “first in the world” wooden car made by Furniture Maker Ahmed Aliyu who has no formal technical education but simply “likes to research things”; to Primary and Secondary school students like the SS2 Students from Regina Pacis School, Abuja who have made environmentally friendly, sustainable, fuel-free Magnetic generator and Dynamo Generator prototypes – which could potentially solve our power-outage problem once and for all!
Also on display were innovative geniuses like Adedola and Abdulbaseet, SS1 Students of Anchor Sprigfield School, Ota, Ogun State who (with the help of their clever teacher Wale) have invented the GSM-controlled electronic circuit which protects your appliances from power surges and (wait for it!) can switch off your electronic appliances at home from wherever you are in the world!
Mohammed Attah the National Coordinator of the CSO Coalition for Made-in-Nigeria products points out, “There must be priority given to supporting the innovators and exhibitors by providing them with a visible online presence to attract investors and potential customers globally. In addition, future exhibitions should be massively publicized to get more international participants to patronize the innovators and exhibitors.”
It is clear from the Expo that the missing link is for the Federal Government to Improve access to finance for these innovative entrepreneurs as well as Provide fiscal incentives for private investment in Research &Development to catapult the massive potential of Made-in-Nigeria products to the global market.
