By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie
The Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Lagos State has entered into partnership with the Applied Engineering Technology Initiative (AETI) to promote the adoption of the institute’s technology by Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs) to boost growth.
Announcing the deal at a briefing, the Acting Director-General, FIIRO, Dr Agnes Yemisi Asagbra, said it would enable the institute’s over 200 inventions move from prototype to mass production stage.
Chairman AETI, Mr Francis Kudaya added that final year students of tertiary institutions could particularly benefit from this partnership as they could get entrepreneurship training through AETI’s online modules then be exposed to FIIRO’s technology to run their businesses, while also getting guidance to source funds from Bank of Industry, NIRSAL and others.
He said: “The key challenge is that students graduate with B.sc and M.sc in many instances but do not have employable skills. I think those days of looking for jobs are over and I think the way forward for the country is self employment, entrepreneurship development. So we have visited a number of universities to say this online platform is ready, therefore, they should encourage their final year students to go for it.
“It is only when you have undergone entrepreneurship training that you can set up your own business.”
Asagbra said apart from achieving greater adoption for FIIRO’s technology, the partnership would help improve the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and check youth restiveness.
She said: “It is the desire of the Federal Government to make sure that the level of unemployment is reduced and if the level of unemployment is reduced, the economy will grow, the GDP will get better.Therefore, the government itself will have peace and there will be less insecurity; there will be less agitation if people are engaged. So we can have youths and women and all who are interested in this programme.”
To create awareness about the partnership, Asagbra said FIIRO and AETI plan to hold investment forums in all regions of the country.
Kudaya added that it was important that youths and others know about the technologies FIIRO had developed for material endowments in all 774 local government areas of the country, meaning that youths and others can prosper wherever they are applying the technology to their businesses.
“You need to see the list of over hundred technologies that FIIRO has invented and the good thing also is that FIIRO has mapped out all the raw materials endowment of every single local government in the country, she said.
Leave a Reply