Minister urges deployment of STI tools to solve problems

Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mohammed Abdullahi, says African nations should deploy Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) tools to solve problems confronting humanity.

Abdullahi said this when an international delegation of African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) paid him working visit in his office on Thursday in Abuja.

AUDA-NEPAD is an agency comprising international experts focused on infrastructural and socio-economic development of AU (African Union) member states.

He said there was a plan for focused research on biotechnology, which would be in sync with robotics, STI and the biotech revolution in the world.

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The minister said that Africans should focus more on funding STI, adding that Venture-Capitalism was the right way out.

Abdullahi noted that the ministry was encouraging young Scientists, especially the girl-child, to participate in STEM, through one of its flagship programmes, the Young Nigerian Scientists Presidential Awards (YONSPA).

According to him, some notable innovations from female scientists include SMART BRA DEVICE by Bolarinwa Kemisola among others.

Earlier, the acting project coordinator, AUDA-NEPAD, Mrs Justina Dugbazah, said the purpose of their visit was to collaborate on areas the ministry needed their expertise.