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Necessary Orientation for the Development
of Nigeria in the Current Millennium
Professor A. S. Sambo, OON, NPOM, VICE-CHANCELLOR, ABUBAKAR
TAFAWA BALEW A UNIVERSITY, BAUCHI, A PAPER PRESENTED TO THE ANNUAL DINNER OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE (AANI), NICON HILTON HOTEL, ABU]A, 15TH FEBRUARY, 2001
I would like to
express my profound gratitude to the organizers of the AANI Annual Dinner for this year for inviting me to serve as the guest speaker at the distinguished occasion.
If one reflects over the existing
number and the various areas of specializations of scientists, engineers, technologists and technocrats that we have in the country and if one also considers the great material resources of the country one would easily
realise that the current level of development in Nigeria is most certainly not due to lack of human and material resources. Like I spoke at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru in July 1998
(Sambo, 1998b) I believe the current level of development in the country is largely due to the lack of adoption of sound orientations to move the nation forward. That is why I have chosen the title of my presentation
tonight to be "Necessary Orientations for the Development of Nigeria in the Current Millennium".
Mr. Chairman, Nigeria is surely a developing country and like all such countries when compared to the
advanced countries of Europe and America, it is characterized by low gross national product (GNP) per capita, high birth rate, high unemployment, low rate of capital formation, poor infrastructure (transport, water
supply, electricity supply, telephone services etc) as well as poor other services (healthcare delivery system, education etc). In present times the rapid socio-economic development of a nation is linked to its
technological capability. No significant progress can be attained in any developing country until science, upon which technology is based, is accorded the desired attention. It should be noted that developing countries
actually fall into two categories: those that have, in recent years, achieved tremendous socio-economic growth are often termed newly industrializing developing countries while the rest, like Nigeria, are truly
developing countries.
For this lecture the word science is used in the limited sense of "knowledge that can be tested by experiment" (Umezurike, 1997). In this guise, science is restricted to the
examination of measurable properties. The various processes involved in science are the set of observations, the construction of a hypothesis based on the available information, experimentation to test the validity of
the hypothesis, and an explanation of the nature of things and processes in the natural world. On the other hand, technology is usually defined as the application of systematic knowledge for the production of goods and
services. It should be noted that the success of a technology in addressing a desired purpose will depend on the social and economic atmosphere in which the, application takes place as well as the ways of fulfilling
needs. This is saying that technology development is subject to political and economic decisions. Of course development, in the context of this lecture, is understood to mean the increase in the capacity for the
controlled transformation of the social structure. Thus, it is very clear that the success with which technology is used to develop a nation will rely on the scientific and technological orientation and indeed the
socio-political orientation of the country.
From the foregoing, it can be concluded that socio-economic growth can only be attained through a purposeful and planned approach. It has been said (Mustafa, 1996)
that technological orientation should aim at appropriate combination of production variables to achieve stated goals. This approach can be likened to seeking optimal solution to a non-linear mathematical equation within
a set of boundary constraints. For example, optimal solution sought by a nation could be the realization of stated policy objectives such as the desire to achieve leadership in space technology or the agricultural
production of a unique crop type.
In the case of the latter, the boundary constraints are size of land, type of soil, climatic factors etc. and they are factors that cannot be varied. The proportions of other
factors, like quantities of scientists, funding level etc. can be varied and evaluated in order to realize stated policy objectives. This was the approach adopted by small to medium sized countries to achieve prominence
in specific areas. For example a country like Switzerland had its policy objective on optimization in the production of precision equipment; Japan - electronics; Austria- hydroturbines; Israel- military hardware; and
South Korea - ship building etc.
My presentation will try to highlight the orientations that have led some developing countries to achieve tremendous socio-economic growth. It will then suggest what is required
to be done in Nigeria in terms of orientation in order to move the nation forward. Section 2 of this lecture will present the development orientations adopted by some developing countries while section 3 will deal with
the way forward. The conclusions made will be presented in section 4.
2.DEVELOPMENT ORIENTATIONS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Before consideration of developing countries is made it is useful to note that Japan,
as an example, which was simplistically perceived by many as an industrial" copy cat", learnt early a number of lessons: " the validity of its basic indigenous agricultural structures, the need to adapt
and not just adopt imported industrial technology, and the need to develop an authentic research capability so as to make optimum use of its development potential" (Aliyu and Mohammed, 1990). Today Japan is a major
industrial power. In the case of the United States of America its early development orientation was a response to the demand by early settlers to cultivate vast large agricultural land and mine its natural resources.
These policies were sustained by successive American Governments and they . continued to participate actively in their successful execution (Mustafa, 1996).
In the first part of this section, we shall examine
how four countries: India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Korea used technology to record significant socio-economic growth. However, the case studies, as originally reported by Najmabadi and Lall, 1995, will be limited to
the industrial sector. In the second part of the section we shall look at some general comparative statistics on developing countries.
2.1 Industrial Development Orientation o_fIndia. Indonesia. Mexico and South Korea
a .India
India currently has a well developed iron and steel industry. Also it attained significant achievements in
automobile, computer software as well as nuclear technology. India is also said to be self-sufficient in food production.
B. Indonesia
The major thrust of the development of Indonesia is that it developed an
investment climate that attracted joint venture industries from the developed world.
c. Mexico
Mexico also developed an investment climate that attracted massive investment from American and Japanese
companies.
d. South Korea
Using available assessment indices, South Korea would appear to fall into the categories of countries to be classified as industrialized. The thrust of South Korea's development is that
the productive sector is in private firms and is export-oriented.
2.2 Comparative Statistics
The above four case studies show that the four countries had key differences in the way by which they oriented
their technologies for industrial development. However, it is clear that they all paid serious attention to manpower development as well as on research ; and development. This meant adequate funding of their educational
systems as well as the research institutes. It is also noted that all the four countries appear to show orientations that clearly indicated strong sense of national identity. Of all the four countries considered in
section 2.1, Indonesia appears to be closest to Nigeria in terms of resource endowment, political experience and climate. Yet starting from the mid - 1960s, Indonesia moved far ahead of Nigeria inspite of the fact that
both countries produce crude petroleum and have experienced significant periods of military rule. The reason for this is Indonesia's science and technology orientation whose major features include:
Keeping of comprehensive statistics on all aspects of socio- economic life;
Increasing production through application of state-of -the- arts technology;
Attraction of foreign capital and factories to relocate in
Indonesia and to produce for export markets;
Diversification of downstream petroleum sector, and development of other sectors of the economy (agriculture, industry, tourism, infrastructure) with resources generated
from the petroleum sector;
A strong foundation in mathematics, science and technology in the educational institutions which provides a fertile ground for utilisation of science and technology for socio-economic
development; and
A largely successful family planning programme which limits the number of children per couple to two, thus encouraging rising per capita income.
Inspite of the instability related to their
stock exchanges which showed about three years ago, various assessments show that Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and China have indeed recorded tremendous socio- economic
growths. In the early 60s most of these economies compare closely with the situation in Nigeria. Fig. 1 clearly demonstrates this by comparing the GDP per capita of Nigeria with that of Malaysia from 1955 to 1994. The
difference is very clear. It is appropriate to recall that in the 1960s Malaysians came to Nigeria to study the palm oil industry. Today Malaysia is a major exporter
Fig. 1: Comparison of GDP per capita for Nigeria and Malaysia (Source: Anya, 1997).
of palm oil while that of Nigeria had dwindled so much that we are unable to produce enough for internal consumption.
Despite the observed differences in the combination of orientations which led to economic success of the south-east "'. Asian countries there are nevertheless common orientations observed by analysts. The major
ones include:
*Great emphasis on basic education leading to literacy rates of more than 75
* Great emphasis is placed on Science, Engineering and Technology (SET)
*Expenditure on SET accounts for a minimum of 2-3 % of the GDP (See Table 1)
In all the countries assessed the economies are technology-driven and export-based while major activities of the economies are in the
hands of private enterprise with well articulated government policies. It is important to note that Table 1 shows Nigeria to have the lowest expenditure on science and technology as a percentage of GDP, for 1987 and
1990, amongst the 18 countries shown.
19871990
Africa
Cameroon 0.8 1.0
Egypt 0.2 0.8
Ghana (1975)0.9 0.4
Kenya (1975) 0.9 1.0
Nigeria 0.1 0.08
Zambia (1975) 0.5 0.4
Other Developing Countries
Bangladesh 0.2 1.1
Brazil 0.6 2.0
Cuba 0.7 0.9
India 0.9 2.0
Iran 0.5 1.0
Mauritius 0.6 N/A
Philippines 0.2 1.5
South Korea 1. 7 3 .0
Trinidad0.6 N/A
Industrialised Countries
Japan 2.5 2.
Europe 2.5 2.2
USA 2.8 1.07
Table 1: Expenditure on Science and Technology, for 6 African Countries and for 12 Other Countries, As % of GDP
(Source: UNESCO, Statistical Yearbook, 1994)
3. THE WAY FORWARD
The major elements of development that have to be re-oriented in order to produce socio-economic growth in Nigeria include political
leadership; education; research and development; industrial development; agricultural development; energy supply and consumption; and environmental concerns.
3.1 Political Leadership
No matter how much
science and technology manpower and material resources we have, the nation will never become developed unless the leaders of the country show genuine commitment for orienting the country technologically. Leadership, in
general, is extremely important. It should be noted that in actual sense leadership should not be restricted to the government alone - even though government is in the forefront. It applies to all groups - those in
government, the politicians, the public services, the private sector and the educational institutions amongst others. It has been suggested (Aminu, 1986) that there should also be a system of government, a way of doing
things, that the people understand and believe in.
It is useful to note that while it has always been recognised that economic growth depends on the magnitude of investment on the development of human capital,
the degree of political stability, the size of government and the level of freedom enjoyed in the market place. This new development consensus emphasizes private sector initiative, reduced government presence and
promotes the efficiency of market forces. Indeed all the developing countries mentioned earlier in this article and who have recorded significant socio-economic growth, have largely followed the above mentioned new
development consensus. It . has been asserted (Anya, 1997) that the role of governments
Within this new framework is to provide policies which mobilise funds for long term investment in infrastructure, human
capital, and environmental sustainability. The objective is to enhance a balance between the demands of social equity and economic efficiency as it is now recognised that the challenge of development is to improve the
quality of human life without undermining the prospects for future life.
A better quality of life necessarily involves higher incomes, higher standards of education, health etc. It should also guarantee equal
opportunities to all citizens. These new approaches have also generated new research interest in establishing the cause of failures in economic development strategies and the relationship of such failures with the
political leadership. By and large the leadership should show a high sense of organisation and be logical in its actions. This is the best orientation for assuring technological attainments which will surely manifest in
socio-economic growth of the nations.
3.2 Education
Contrary to the reported moves of Government to downsize the number of educational institutions in the country, the analysis of section 3 above actually
shows that for Nigeria to become technology advanced the enrollment figures into the entire school system should be significantly increased. Given the current state of the school system a major action, for correct
technological orientation, in the country is the massive rehabilitation of all the schools in terms of provision of books, journals and other facilities as well as the repair of broken down plant and equipment. In the
longer term, new schools will have to be established.
In order to cater for the orientation towards technology the curricula, especially at the primary and secondary levels, should be tilted towards the
promotion of science and technical education. At the tertiary levels, emphasis should be fully placed on adequate provisions of equipment in the laboratories and workshops. It should be a deliberate policy to increase
the proportion of laboratory work and workshop sessions as well as strengthening of the industrial training components. There is also the need to enhance the work-study concept which will allow students in the
universities and polytechnics to take a year or so off their studies for the purpose of acquiring additional practical experience.
The conditions of services of the teachers and other staff of the education
sector will have to be significantly reviewed and the salary scales will need to be very attractive. This is necessary in order to provide some motivation to the teachers whose morale is currently very low. It will also
stem the current departure from the teaching profession to other endeavours as well as curtail the current rather worrying brain drain problem.
At this stage, it appears appropriate to express some concern to
the Government over its thinking with regards to tertiary institutions. It has been reported that very senior officers of the Government are proposing one federal tertiary institution to continue to be that of the
Federal Government while the others, as proposed, will be handed over to the states. Logical as these moves appear to be, it is clear that it will require a long period: before the states become able to efficiently
handle the schools. Of course' this opinion arises because we all know the conditions the existing state institutions are in, when compared with the Federal ones.
Staff in our tertiary institutions should also
be provided with reasonable facilities and funding to carry out research. There is also the need to encourage university/industry linkages whose benefits are really two ways. While the industry will use the linkages to
solve their practical problems as well as the development of new processes and products, the staff and students of the universities will derive enhanced practical experiences.
3.3 Research and Development
From the assessment of the south east Asian countries in section 2, it was observed that all the countries placed serious attention to their various research and development institutes. To attain socio-economic
growth Nigeria too has to accord much more attention to research and development projects and programmes.
The first step in this direction is the strengthening of the research and development capacities of the
institutes in such a manner that will enable them to carry out quality research work in basic and applied research as well as adaptation of technologies developed elsewhere so they fit local Nigerian conditions. The
adaptation of technologies to local needs, or "copy-technology" in particular should be given special consideration as a major technological orientation for Nigeria to move forward in all aspects of modern
life (Sambo, 1.997).
It is strongly recommended that technology incubation centres be established in universities and polytechnics and they are to:
determine the commercial viability of a technical innovation
participate in technology acquisition, adaptation and popularisation .
provide avenues for hands-on experience to students and encourage
them to establish their own enterprises on graduation and
provide extra income to the relevant academic and technical staff as well as the institution itself.
It should be noted that conventional research
institutes, which undertake both basic and applied research, are largely outside universities and polytechnics.
3.4 Industrial Development
With advances in information and communications technology and
breaking of national barriers to international trade and investment, the world has become a truly global village. Indeed there is no hiding place for any economy and only the best can survive. While our initial
pre-occupation should continue to be geared towards self sufficiency in food production and industrial raw materials sources our medium term plan should be in the direction of export of finished products to the West
African sub- region. Ultimately, we have to draw up a long term plan to compete with selected industries where we possess comparative advantages.
Strategic heavy industries such as iron and steel (which provides
flat sheets, rods and billets) and the petrochemical industries (which is planned to provide feedstocks and solvents for other industries) are two key industries that only government can provide and without which the
country is industrialisation drive would be difficult to attain. Although the infrastructure for the steel industry is in place the expected flat sheets, rods and billets cannot be produced because one steel complex
(Ajaokuta) has not been completed while the second one (Aladja Steel Complex) has serious management problems. Both Ajaokuta and Aladja Steel Complexes were designed to produce about 1 million tones each of liquid steel
per annum but the plant at Ajaokuta is to be operated on cooking coal and that at Aladja is gas-fired. In addition, Ajaokuta has its four rolling mills in-house but Aladja was designed to supply the three rolling mills
at Oshogbo, Jos and Katsina. On the petrochemicals, it is gratifying to observe that all the major sectors of the industry are very much in place. The only problem, over the past few years, has been the non- compliance
with world-wide established technical guidelines for the maintenance of the refineries. Currently none of the four refineries (old and hew Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna) is operating anywhere close to installed
capacity.
Appropriate Technology (A T), as distinct from intermediate technology, for any country is a technology that is culturally acceptable, gives direct or indirect employment to optimum number of people,
increasses productivity and results in minimum damage to the environment. The local sugar industry, as an "" example, at the moment produces less than 15 % of our sugar needs. Nigeria is blessed with fertile
soil across almost all geographical zones to produce enough sugar, not only for our needs, but also for export to the West African sub-region. Using AT, hundreds of mini-sugar plants could be locally developed and we
can create close to a million jobs in the industry and its spin- offs in the manufacture of machinery and implements, chemicals and by-product industries. The technology acquired through this initiative could also, in
itself, produce thousands of job opportunities with multiplier effects.
Other industries where Nigeria has comparative advantage include biotechnology, renewable energy (particularly solar) food processing,
pharmaceutical (particularly natural products) mineral and chemical processing activities.
The effect of globalisation on our S&T system environment is predicated on the provision of basic infrastructures
and utilities. If we are to be relevant in the world economy of the 21st Century, we must have efficient transport and communication systems, constant and reliable water and electricity supply and we must have
both the financial and technological capacity to sustain them. We must also have at our disposal the indispensable tool in information technology - the INTERNET.
In the choice of technology for development, we
must prioritise, based on our strategic needs and in areas where we have a comparative advantage. Priority areas of technology industry.; development include - food production and procession, pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, renewable energy, mineral processing and chemicals as well as information technology.
3.5 Agricultural Development in Nigeria
Agricultural development is an integral part of national
economic development. The mounting concern about agricultural development in tropical Africa arises from many causes, some of which include (Olayide, 1982):
Various aspects of poverty in terms of little to
eat and wear as well as poor living conditions.
Low productivity of agriculture, whereby about 70% of the adult workforce undertakes subsistence cultivation on small holdings, using simple implements and obtaining
poor yields.
Intensification of rural - urban drift of could be farmers with consequence of a rapidly ageing farm population.
Since independence, successive governments in Nigeria have come up with one
agricultural/rural development programme or another. Notable to mention were the Green Revolution, Operation Feed the Nation and the integrated rural development programmes which incorporated the Agricultural
Development Programmes (ADPs) and the National Agricultural Fadama Plantation Progamme (NAFPP), and the development of the river basins for irrigated agriculture, amongst other objectives.
Considering the huge
amount of capital outlay against the claimed benefits not many of these efforts could be said to have been remarkably successful except the ADPs which through their organised supply of modern inputs and provision of
infrastructural facilities produced the greatest impact on the farmers (Ojo, 1991).
Some of the problems which militated against the achievement of significant agricultural development in particular and economic
development in general include:
Lack of a coherent, consistent and well articulated policy on agricultural development. This is also coupled with poor implementation of programmes and lack of sufficient
coordination in government policies.
Research support scheme has not creditably helped in agricultural development due to increased organisational changes, chronic poor funding and the low premium accorded to
education in Nigeria. Teaching today stands as the least paying job with the lowest esteem in society.
Closely following on to the second problem is the low ; investment in human capital. It has been reasoned
(Schultz, 1961) that for most successful economics the principal source of income is from labour or the human capital and that the principal activities that produce human capital are education, on the job training, and
health services. He further explained that those countries that have the best records have not won them because they have the best land, or mainly because they have increased rapidly the producible capital in
agriculture, but largely because they have acquired the skills and knowledge required, and confidence in their ability to develop a modern agriculture.
There is the need for the national economic planning strategy
to deal appropriately with the problem of mass poverty which is the core of most economic problems in the country (Ojo, 1991)
There is the widely debated issue of agricultural subsidy. It is very unwise for the
Federal Government to attempt to remove all forms of agricultural subsidy at this very crucial and fragile state of our agricultural development. Even in the most developed economies of the world agriculture in one form
or another is still receiving substantial subsidy.
Agricultural development must move hand in glove with industrial development. As it stands today more than three quarters of our industries are closed down and the
remaining one quarter are operating at less than 50 percent installed capacity. This is a most hostile economic climate for agricultural development, since the envisaged surplus from improved agricultural productivity
is supposed to provide raw materials for industry.
3.6 Energy_ Supply and Consumption
Nigeria is well endowed with fossil fuels and renewable energy sources of hydro, solar, biomass and wind. Crude oil
resources have been estimated (Sambo, 1996) to be 16 billion barrels (crude oil upon refining produces liquified petroleum gas, prime motor spirit, dual purpose kerosine, automotive gas oil and high and low pour fuel
oils). Reserves of coal were estimated at 344x109kg. The total amount of energy received in Nigeria per annum from the sun is 5.08x1012MJ. The overall hydropower resources potentially exploitable in Nigeria is in excess
of 11,000MW.
The pattern of energy consumption in the industrialized countries is (Isoun, 1990) oil, 45 %; biomass (fuel wood), 1 %; hydropower, 30%; coal, 28%; and gas, 23%. The pattern overall for developing
countries is: oil, 24%; biomass, 44%; hydropower, 24%; coal, 26%; and gas, 4%. In Nigeria end-use commercial energy consumption is characterised by a rapidly growing trend. The demand for petroleum products accounts for
roughly 70 % ; natural gas, 25 %; electricity, 5 %; and coal, 1 %.
In general, the consumption of energy in Nigeria is inefficient whether in the household sector, transport sector, industrial sector or indeed
in the services sector. While more efficient consumption patterns, through more energy efficient end-use devices are strongly advocated, there is need to address the issue of the environment especially as it affects
fuel wood consumption, oil extraction, and the construction of dams for hydroelectric power plants. In order for Nigeria to adequately prepare for the next millennium there is the urgent need for the nation to evolve an
optimum energy mix that will emphasize the conservation of petroleum resources in such a manner that will lead to their continued exportation for foreign exchange earnings for as many years to come as possible. The
adoption of renewable energy technologies especially in the household and services sector of the economy will surely lead to reduce internal consumption of petroleum products. Solar photovoltaics plants could be
installed to generate electricity that could be used on a stand-alone basis or fed into the national grid. Wind energy could be practically utilised for water pumping. Biogas digesters could cater for the cooking energy
needs in barracks, prison houses and boarding schools. Plantations of quick growing of trees could supply the fuelwood for efficient wood-burning stoves for rural and semi- urban use.
The major advantages of the
renewable energy technologies include the simplicity of the technologies, ease of maintenance as . well as their enhanced environmental friendliness over fossil fuel systems. The transport and industrial sectors of the
economy will necessarily continue to be fueled by petroleum products. In this regard there is need to encourage private sector participation in energy financing by coming up with attractive investment climate (Sambo,
1998). There is also need for active encouragement of the citizenry to adopt efficient energy end-use devices. This, along with the adoption of environmental impact assessment, will ensure sustainable national energy
development.
3.7 Environmental Concerns
The environment comprises land (soil), water and air, as well as the physical and biological elements - and their interactions - contained in them. Man and his
artifacts, including his institutional structures (social, political, economic, and .. technological) designed to help him solve the problems of food, shelter, health, education and work, fit into this general
definition of the environment. Development is what we all do in our struggle to improve our lot within the environment. But development to serve the current and long-term national and international interests of the
society. The internationally accepted goal is sustainable development which is the pattern of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations of a given society to
meet their own needs from the environment and its resources (Isoun, 1990).
In June 1992, the first UN Conference on Environment and Development, also called the Earth's Summit, was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
to talk about global warming, biodiversity and other environmental issues. This conference culminated in the ratification of Agenda 21, the Earth's Summits's major declaration that will have far-reaching implications
for development of all nations, but particularly for developing nations such as Nigeria. Two other important UN conferences took place in quick sucession in 1995. The first was the World Summit for Social Development
took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Sumit addressed three great challenges: poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration. The second conference, the Beijing World Conference on Women, introduced
gender issues in development.
The Second Earth's Summit took place in June last year in New York. Industrialists have not fully absorbed the shocking reverberations of the first Earth's Summit, as Agenda 21 is
yet to be integrated into industrial design thinking. Another milestone in environmental issues in development will take place in . Hanover, Germany in the year 2000. It is called The World EXPO 2000: Mankind,
Environment and Technology. Any, strategic planner or visioner who does not take cognisance of these monumental Development, does so at his own risk. It is evident from our past attempt at industrialisation and the
breaking of national boundaries in areas such as international laws on the environment that whatever we do in our visioning process, we must not ignore these developments.
Agenda 21, among other things, mandated
the United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan to undertake the Zero Emissions Research Initiative (ZERI). The ZERI mission statement, ushering in a brave new world, is loud and clear. The Zero Emissions Research
Initiative will undertake scientific research, involving centres of excellence from around the world with the objective of achieving technological breakthroughs which will facilitate manufacture without any form of
waste, ie no waste in the water, no waste in the air and no solid wastes. All waste is to be converted into value added ingredients for other industries. ZERI will assist governments at all levels in the design of
social and economic policy options for sustainable growth.
ZERI envisages that some industries may not be able to use all their" wastes". To maintain the ZERI concept, another industry which will use
the "waste" from this industry or a collection of them, would have to be built in the vicinity. This arrangement will give rise to clusters of industries, with complete utilisation of all inputs, producing in
accordance with corporate drive for total quality, (zero defects) and just-in-time (zero inventory).
4. CONCLUSION
Nigeria is a country that is well endowed with large quantities of material resources.
After 39 years of independence all the world- wide accepted indices of development clearly show the country to lag behind in modern day technology. An assessment of the developing countries that have achieved
significant attainments in their socio-economic growth clearly show that our orientations, for achieving technological and hence industrial growth should ensure:
Strengthening of our educational system as a whole as
well as the introduction of entrepreneurial skills into technology- based undergraduate curriculum along with encouragement of interaction with industry in curriculum development and R&D so that both products
(graduates and R&D results) would be demand driven.
Establishment of Technology Industry Development Fund in tertiary institutions, at zonal or national level, whose job is to commercialise innovations with the
researchers and the local community as stake holders. State and local governments may be asked either to contribute to the fund , in their locality or to invest in equity, in specific technology development projects
within their area.
Consultancy units of tertiary institutions should be strengthened to provide the necessary liaison between R&D centres and industry. Each should know of the problems and opportunities
available in the other's sub-system. While industries without in-house R&D should utilise the facilities and expertise available in tertiary institution, they should be encouraged to build their own facilities
through appropriate tax incentives or penalties.
Technology Incubation Centres should be set -up in all major cities where tertiary institutions exist, to nurture newly developed technology industries with the'
institution/researchers where the technology originates.
Centres of Excellence should be established at each of the country's six geopolitical zones, to provide researchers (academic and industrial) with
state-of-the-art facilities which no individual institution can afford by itself. These Centres of Excellence can be sited either at a tertiary institution or at a convenient place that is easily accessible to all
institutions within each zone.
Dedicating serious attention to industrial problems and programmes with emphasis on small - and medium-scale industries as well as privatisation of enterprises. Concepts of appropriate
technology should also be emphasised.
Completion of the development of the steel sector as well as the petrochemical sector and ensuring that world-wide accepted maintenance schedules for the refineries are strictly
adhered to.
Pursuance of programmes for self sufficiency in food production as well as the creation of an inter-phase between agricultural development and industrial development.
The rationalised consumption of
petroleum products along with the introduction of renewable energy technologies so that petroleum products can generate revenue for more years.
The integration of environmental concerns while planning development
projects as well as encouraging the setting up of new technology-based industries in clusters, according to UNU /ZERI standards with the necessary and other incentives. Bilateral agencies (e.g. UNU, UNEP) will readily
give technical information and grants to government agencies or industries concerned with meeting UNU /ZERI specifications .
Adopting mass mobilization programmes that will sensitize and orient the citizenry
to technological achievements. This could be done through well organised radio, television and newspaper publications. The organisation of trade fairs and exhibitions as well as pilot projects should be done. In all
cases, innovative achievements should well recognised through appropriate incentives and rewards.
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