Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr. Kingsley Tochukwu-Udeh, has assured innovators and researchers that their works will no longer lie in shelves, laboratories and their efforts go in vain.
Addressing a news conference ahead of the launching of the Energise Commercialisation Now (ECoN) project on Thursday in Kano, the minister said that with the ECoN initiative, such innovations and research works would be made ready for the market.
He explained that the project is designed to link the innovators, inventors and research institutes to investors willing to take up the ideas, invest and transform them into solutions for the market.
“ECoN contains what it seeks to do to commercialise innovation and research outcomes from our various tertiary institutions, research institutions, tech hubs, research and development segments of the private sector.
“Nigeria is not bereft of ideas. Many of these ideas are very innovative, but the gap has always been transforming these innovations, research outcomes and ideas into market revenue and solutions for the country.
“This is what Energise Commercialisation Now seeks to do,” he said.
According to Tochukwu-Udeh, the federal government is partnering with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and other regional bodies like the North-West Governors’ Forum to fast-track the implementation of the ECoN project.
He said that the initiative triggered young people, women, innovators and researchers, to know that their efforts would not be in vain and support them to access the market.
“We are linking these innovators, inventors, even the research institutes, to investors that are ready to take up these ideas, research outcomes, invest and transform them into solutions for the market.
“Product that will yield profit. Solution that will yield revenue. Not just for the investors but also for those that have the intellectual property, inventors and innovators.
“The project is geared towards job creation, industry growth, entrepreneurship, sovereignty of Nigeria in the area of science, technology and innovation,” he said.
Tochukwu-Udeh explained that the project has led to a surge in viable research outcomes and innovations because innovators, researchers and inventors now know that investors are waiting for their research outcomes and innovative efforts.
According to him, the federal government, governors, stakeholders and captains of industry are ready to support innovations and research outcomes that would be transformed into solutions in the market, while availing innovators and researchers of advantages, money, shares and value for their efforts.
He disclosed that the ministry has so far received over a thousand entries out of which Kano has the highest entries.
Tochukwu-Udeh said that Kano State would be hosting the launching of the project in view of its position as a Centre of Commerce and that the First Lady, Sen. Remi Tinubu and the wives of the governors of the North-West zone would be attending the event.
GIK/APA