The Executive Vice Chairman of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, Engr.Prof.Mohammed Sani Haruna has remarked that no meaningful industrialization efforts could yield fruits without the development of Nigeria’s iron and steel sector.
The Executive Vice Chairman said that to run Nigeria’s industries effectively and to sustain the manufacturing sector locally, Nigeria needs to build most of its machines and equipment locally in order to deepen the impacts of innovations and to make the manufacturing of goods and services become part and parcel of the culture of the citizens.
To this effect, yesterday, in Abuja, the Agency and the National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC) Jos signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together to revamp the iron and steel sector of the country and other allied industries.
Prof.Haruna explained that for Industrialization to become sustainable in any country, the steel, iron and tools required to build the machines that are needed to sustain both the productive and manufacturing capacities of the country, to a large extent, must be developed locally.
The NMDC Jos was established as a research and development organization with the mandate to carry out research and development activities for the metallurgical and allied industries for the growth of the nation’s solid minerals sector, while NASENI has the mandate of providing research and developmental works in the areas of capital goods, machines and equipment for the purpose of developing a home-grown and home sustained industrial development of the country.
Prof.Haruna said that “without the full participation of NMDC and the metallurgical development subsector of the economy, it is extremely difficult to industrialize Nigeria”
Speaking further, the Executive Vice Chairman disclosed that the newly signed MoU between NASENI and NMDC was to provide a threshold for the resuscitation of Nigeria’s iron and steel sector and the beginning of the genuine revitalization of Nigeria’s industrial sector.
He said, “the NMDC is the real development centre to make our nation economically viable and the MoU between the Centre and NASENI today is to put the sustainable development of the manufacturing industry on the right track”. He said the reason why many of the Nigerian industries are not viable is that the backing of the local iron, steel and tools, machines and equipment are not home-grown nor home-sustained innovations available. We keep importing everything into Nigeria and no nation can develop that way.”
Prof. Haruna said the working collaborations at the instance of the MoU between NASENI and NMDC had been instituted to provide a solid foundation for the steel and iron sector of Nigeria to flourish because the subsector is the very foundation for the manufacturing sector of the country to prosper.
Responding during the signing of the MoU, the Director General/CE of NMDC Prof. Linus O.Asukwo who signed the document on behalf of the Centre thanked the Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI and Management for the leadership in promoting the science, technology and innovation sector of the Nigerian economy.
He referred to the EVC/CE NASENI as an uncommon reformer while commending the various technology strides attained so far by the Agency under the leadership of Prof.M.S Haruna `
Contained in the MoU are some of the terms of reference which include equipment and facilities support in the areas of Metallurgy research & development, Minerals Research & Development, Analytical and Environmental Services, Consultancy services in Metallurgy, Mineral Processing, Analytical and Environmental related issues, Capacity building Equipment and machine design, fabrication, spares and component parts production, Equipment and machinery maintenance, repairs and training, Supply of research equipment and shared facilities, Joint Research & Development and commercial ventures and other areas as may be determined by both parties.
