Business

Nigeria Prioritising Technological Innovations After Wasting $10bn Importing Welders

Published

11 months ago

December 16, 2023

Tolu Oke

By Cami Ezenwa

In well administered countries, technological innovations have long become the norm rather than the exception.

It is long being deployed as a way of making things better and life easier. But, in Nigeria, this is not exactly the case.

The country has lagged behind in literary all areas of science and technology development for a long time.

If however, very recent developments in some quarters are anything to go by, then, the bug for technological innovations, appears ready to catch Nigeria, in fact, overrun her.

It is such that, welders, our every-day artisan-neighbours are set to become hot cakes should they learn to sieze the moment, a moment set in spacer by the government to leapfrog her scientific advancements.

Rather than scrappy clothes and rustic equipment they have been flying all over the place, welders could now become highly skilled and adept in their craft.

They could become abreast of all trending technology innovations in their field, learn how to apply these in improving their work, helping to advance Nigeria’s scientific quests from their frontier, and as such attract enhanced dignity This would not only translate to more efficient welder service delivery locally, but also, stop the whopping sum in capital flight which the country has been spending importing welders.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Geoffery Nnaji gave credence to all of the above at an interaction in Abuja two weeks ago.

Nigeria, he said, loses an estimated $10 billion Dollars Annually in revenue by importing welders with international certifications, effectively displacing local expertise and manpower in the field This displacement of our local service suppliers, key to the nation’s technological innovations and science development programme, has been due to a lack of acceptable accreditation, despite having over one million welders in the country.

What has happened next is an influx of foreign welding personnel particularly in the oil and gas industry.

The ministry has now taken action to checkmate the marginalisation of local welders due to the non-possession of international certification.

First in this direction is an approval and launching of the National Policy on Welding and Welding-Related Fields, which had already happened, recently.,

According to Chief Nnaji, “The Policy Thrust of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Asiwaju Tinubu, the Federal Government will collaborate with the Nigerian Institute of Welding to establish six Centers of Welding Excellence in the six geopolitical zones.”

The centers will provide training and ISO Certification to Local Welders, empowering them to work locally and internationally”, he said, stressing that the initiative aims to promote local content utilisation in alignment with the objectives of Presidential Executive Order No. 5,.That order seeks to boost local content in production and growth of the manufacturing industry.

The forum was the launching of National Policy on Welding and Welding related Fields and presentation of its strategy implementation Action Plan.

There, the minister also revealed that the Ministry, in determination to fight poverty in the country, had empowered many Nigerians with requisite skills through capacity building in the area of fabrication of machines, leather technology making, solar energy tapping techniques, finishing of buildings and small hydro turbines for power generation.

He pointed out the imperatives of enhancing local content utilisation to making Nigeria an export-oriented country for finished products and welding personnel.Importance of technological innovations Creating and deploying new or improved technologies, tools, systems, and processes in every day life can only but be welcome.

Challenges that face man keep changing with the time and there is every necessity to put in place, machines, systems and processes that can respond adequately to such problems.

Technological innovations also lead to more