Nationnewslead report that Following the Nigerian Bilateral agreements with the Czech Republic to finance and support research, development, and innovation projects in Agriculture, Mining, and General Manufacturing, the Federal Polytechnic Offa has been selected as one of the beneficiaries of the Nigeria/Czech Republic Joint Research and Development Fund.
The agreement signed at the Technology Orientation Centre, NASENI Headquarters, Abuja marks the beginning of the Delta-2 Program, involving the allocation of funding to chosen projects and the formalization of implementation agreements.
In his welcome address on Monday, December 18, 2023, at the Agency’s headquarters, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu said the Delta-2 Programme was another manifestation of NASENI’s commitment to fulfilling its mandate of transforming Nigeria’s technology and innovation landscape, through sustained focus on its 3Cs principles of Collaboration, Creation, and Commercialization.
According to him, “Ultimately, our goal is not just to produce prototypes and models, but to ensure that the outcomes of the partnership are taken to market; that they are available commercially for consumers and end-users to benefit from, knowing that the real value of technology lies in market usefulness and application, our vision in the new NASENI that we are building is to create values and to be relevant in the market”.
He therefore congratulated the selected beneficiaries of the projects and urged them not to take this massive opportunity for granted, as the funds would be deployed with a sense of service and responsibility.
The selection process featured 285 proposals submitted from different tertiary institutions and organizations, out of which 55 proposals were shortlisted for second stage while 25 were selected for final stage. The Federal Polytechnic Offa is the only Polytechnic selected among the eleven (11) partner organizations/institutions recommended for funding in Nigeria.
The project to be funded is titled “Aeroponics Farming and the output of the project (tomatoes) will be commercialized which will lead to employment opportunities and serve as a source of revenue for the Polytechnic.
In his reaction to this achievement, the Rector, Engr. Dr. Kadiri Kamoru Oluwatoyin FNSE commended the Federal Government’s initiative on technological advancement to create a ripple effect in the area of Agriculture, Mining and General Manufacturing. Dr. Kadiri noted that the investment of the Federal Government in research development and innovation through National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) will further transform Nigeria’s technology and innovation landscape.
He therefore appreciated the NASENI as implementing Agency for Nigeria, working in partnership with the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR) for funding the Polytechnic to embark on Aeroponics Farming.
While noting that the grant is another remarkable feat for the institution as the fastest-growing Polytechnic in Nigeria, he assured the agency of judicious utilization of the fund for the intended project.
The selected projects include; development of bioethanol production in multiple foodstock in the Federal University, Akure, Aeroponics farming with Federal Polytechnic Offa as lead organization, conversion of banana stem into hair extension in partnership with Chemtech farms as lead organization, and agro-waste conversion for animal feed and industrial fibre production.
Others are potato farming, processing, and ark meting in partnership with El Naandy Nigeria Ltd, industrial wastewater purification in partnership with Federal University of Technology, Minna, development of natural fibre reinforced plastic for electrical cable installation in partnership with Cutix plc, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
