Nigeria’s economic “reforms won’t work without Technology’

By Emma Okonji

The Nigerian Academy of Engineering has predicted that the several reforms going on in the country that are economic based, may fail if the planning was not based on technology.

Immediate past President of the academy, Dr. Edet Amana, dropped the hint in Lagos. at a recent President Dinner and Technology Evening, organised by the academy, in preparation for the investiture of its new President, Prof. Ayo Ogunye.

While performing his last function as President of Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Amana said if Nigeria does not adopt technology-based focus for her national economic planning, there would be little hope for the country’s economic development.

He called on the federal, state and local governments, as well as industrialists, academia and the media to make fundamental shift from economic-based planning to technology-based planning, if Nigeria must grow her technology, sharpen her competitive edge and move from economic growth to economic development.

According to him, technology-based planning would address functions such as trade policy, intellectual property laws, industrial policy and the upgrading of the country’s infrastructure.

“In the public sector, technology-based planning should be the central focus for policies involving trade, taxation, innovation, patents and intellectual property law, education, university teaching and research, strengthening of research institutions, industrial policy and improvement to infrastructure.”

He added that in private sector, technology-based planning should focus on generating competitive technological advantage and making technology the basis for every decision within the organisation, rather than the financial bottom line.

Defining technology as the making, modification, usage, knowledge of tools, in solving societal problems, Amana called on policy makers to consider the development of technology in the country, in order to advance good economic reforms for her citizens.

Key note speaker, Chief Operating Officer, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Mr. Bashir Patel who delivered a lecture on the theme, ‘Telecommunications Technology and Infrastructure: The Pivot of National Economic Advancement,’ encouraged Nigerians to embrace technology in all that they do, since it is the best form to achieve reforms and developments in a nation.

According to him, Nigeria had done well in the area of voice telephony, but advised that she should deepen her broadband penetration by moving broadband from the seashore to the hinterlands, to enable more Nigerians have access to internet at reduced cost.

Incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee in 1997 for the purpose of promoting excellence in technological and engineering training and practice, the Nigerian Academy of Engineering has the objective to promote excellence in the advancement of engineering science, technology and related discipline.

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Posted by AfricaSTI on June 24, 2012. Filed under Lead Stories, Nigeria. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry