Nigeria must move from consumption to production says FG

The Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, on Wednesday highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to accelerating science and technology advancements at a national workshop focused on implementing the 2022 Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Policy.

The workshop, organized in collaboration with UNESCO, brought together STI experts from across Nigeria to advance the country’s development goals aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Minister Nnaji emphasized that Nigeria is positioned to shift from a resource-based economy to one driven by knowledge and production, with a focus on utilizing local labor, materials, and technology as part of the Executive Order No. 5.

He noted that these efforts, supported by recent international engagements, are essential to addressing the economic challenges Nigerians currently face and to embedding STI into all areas of daily life, driving sustainable development across all sectors.

The UNESCO Representative to Nigeria, Abdourahamane Diallo, underscored the vital role of STI in achieving sustainable development, highlighting UNESCO’s commitment to fostering international collaboration in science as he praised Nigeria’s proactive STI policies, including the 2022 Policy and its alignment with the UNESCO Open Science Recommendation, as key steps toward the country’s socio-economic growth.

Diallo added that a strategic, well-aligned implementation plan is crucial for Nigeria’s STI policy to achieve its full impact, especially in advancing the SDGs and supporting the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.