Even though the federal government is still pushing hard earned money into endless search for oil deposits in the northern part that naturally lacked the resources in commercial quantity, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has announced approval for a 13-year National Science, Technology and Innovation Road Map to transform Nigeria from a resource-based to a knowledge-based economy.
According to him, the NSTIR would cover 2017 to 2030.
Onu revealed that the Federal Executive Council gave the approval for the plan to help the economic diversification process, “especially in the emerging post-crude oil global economy.”
He also noted that a challenge facing the country was to initiate “bold and visionary policies that would help to move the economy in the direction of diversification, so that we can absorb the shock and trauma of recession.”
In his submission in Abuja recently, the Minister said “The government has articulated and presented the National Science, Technology and Innovation Road map 2017-2030. This was approved by the Federal Executive Council and designed to move the country away from a resource-based to a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy that will help drive Nigeria’s economic diversification process.
“The road map is set out in the short-term to help achieve the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of 2017 to 2020, which stated clearly that science and technology would be effectively harnessed to drive national competitiveness, productivity and economic activities in all sectors.”
