Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), John Omimakinde, has emphasised the need for active interaction and engagement between and among institutions to achieve development that will impact the people.
Omimakinde said this at the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NACETEM and the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), in Abuja.
According to him, the signing of the MoU ceremony would underscore the significance of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) to all sectors of the economy.
He noted that collaborating with NITT was an easy decision to make, because of the significance of the transport sector to Nigeria’s economy and the critical roles NITT plays within the sector.
Omimakinde said if NACETEM couples knowledge to development, then it needs an institution such as NITT that is into transport technology to make huge impacts.
The DG said the fulcrum of the collaboration between NITT and NACETEM involves fostering cooperation between the Institute and NACETEM in the area of technology transfer and adaptation in Transport and Logistics services.
He added data gathering and dissemination for operators, stakeholders and policy makers in the transport industry and Joint research and development activities in the transport (and logistics) industry for improved capacity and products/services delivery.
Omimakinde said the implication of the above is that the agencies can leverage on each other’s strengths to save government resources in terms of capital flight by taking advantage of what is available in the country, adding that inter-agency collaboration thus becomes a handy tool to make more impacts at minimal costs.
He said: “NACETEM, as a foremost policy research institute and knowledge support institution, is ready to make this relationship work. And we are convinced too that NITT is more than ready to make this collaboration a success. Together, we can make impacts that reverberate across nations and generations.”
In his remarks, the Chairman, NACETEM Governing Board, Haastrup Olatunji, commended the move on the part of both institutions, saying that it shows that the government of the day is working towards achieving collective aspirations.
“Let me add that no organisation can survive alone. Organisations, the world over, work hand in hand to share ideas with a view to helping one another by leveraging on their respective strengths. The common strength to both institutions is the know-how to deploy science, technology and innovation to galvanise development.
“I, therefore, encourage the two institutions to use this for the benefits of Nigeria and humanity at large. I am certain that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will be pleased with both institutions looking inwards to use the available resources in the country to drive development. This approach will not only save the nation huge resources, but also prevent capital flights in terms of foreign exchange.”
Director-General of NITT, Dr Bayero Farah, also corroborated the importance of inter-agency collaborations, stressing that it would assist government established agencies fast track national development.
