The Academy is looking for cooperation with the public and private sectors for engineers

The Nigerian Academy of Engineering has called for greater collaboration between government, industry and academia to advance the technology entrepreneurship and engineering sector.

Former President of the academy, Joanna Maduka, stated that she delivered a lecture on “Collaboration between Government, Industry and Academia in the Technology Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Nigeria” during the installation ceremony of Prof. Rahamon Bello as the new President of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering held in Lagos recently.

Maduka said: “Nigeria needs pragmatic solutions to overcome the enormous challenges facing the country in areas such as energy, transport, agriculture, industrialization, health care, communication, education and unemployment.

“The opportunities for growth and improvement are enormous when government, industry and academia work together to solve identified problems.”

She added that collaboration is essential to support innovation, economic growth and sustainable development in the technopreneurship ecosystem in Nigeria.

She added that by working together, government, industry and academia could create a thriving ecosystem that would support techno-entrepreneurs, drive economic growth and reduce poverty in Nigeria.

“The dominance of Asian nationals in today’s global techno-enterprise demonstrates the opportunities that a country like Nigeria offers.

Indian citizens now seem to monopolize major technology industries as CEOs e.g. Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe Systems etc.

“The roles played by the Government of India, for example in relation to the famous IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology), should be a model for Nigeria to reconsider. The Nigerian Academy of Engineering must formalize a method of contributing to the solution of some of the country’s pressing problems,” she noted.

She said despite the progress achieved through collaboration between government, industry and academia in Nigeria, the techno-entrepreneurship ecosystem faced many challenges including limited funding and infrastructure, regulatory hurdles and a skills gap

In his inaugural speech, the new President of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Bello, noted that the academy is mainly made up of experts in the field of engineering who are willing and ready to share most of the knowledge and experience they have acquired over the course of their lives to help solve Nigerian problems in the whenever they face challenges.

He stated that the academy must find ways to encourage governments and other stakeholders in Nigeria to tap into this enormous potential through advocacy and policy developments.

“We should be able to talk and impose a way to change something in this nation. The problem of shortage of the lowest cadre of the engineering family (technicians and artisans) in Nigeria should be addressed immediately.

“The Academy has embarked on efforts to give adequate attention to the re-development of technical and vocational education and skills in Nigeria as a starting point. Promotion of engineering enterprises will put the nation back on its feet,” he said.

In his farewell speech, the outgoing president of the academy, Prof. Peter Onwualu, stated that many achievements had been recorded during his tenure.

According to Onwualu, while imported technologies, equipment and skills are needed, the country must find a way to develop its innovation sector in such a way that engineering and technology developed by Nigerian engineers are used to implement all programs.

“This process can be accelerated if the government gives priority to activating the National Research and Innovation Council, as proposed in the current National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy.

“The Council will then establish a National Research Fund that will fund research and innovation activities in the public and private sectors, academic and industrial sectors of the economy to ensure that all technologies and engineering skills required to develop the economy are produced in Nigeria by Nigerians,” he explained.