December 20, 2023
By Sylvester Thompson
Dr Olushola Odusanya, Director General of National Centre for Technology Management(NACETEM), says the Centre was facilitating a process where Nigeria will start building fibreglass boats.
Odusanya said this in an interview with Mainstream news on the sideline of G-STIC conference orgainsed by NACTEM themed: Unlocking the potential of market ready technological solutions for blue economy in Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday.
“Wooden boats are nice, but fibreglass boats is what the world is using.
“It’s not a technological problem, but a problem of us coming together.
” That is the reason why we have put people in this room, to discuss how we can start using fibreglass boats,” he said.
The NACETEM director general said the conference was also to discuss how the knowledge of welding and foundry among others,could help achieve the goal.
According to him, on the long run, the endeavor would metamorphose into carriage for trains and other vessels.
Odusanya said: “Let’s get this one right first related to blue economy.
“It’s crystal clear in my mind that this is one area that we can actually build wealth, and we have highly trainable people.”
He explained that the conference was about “setting up the nuts and bolts of blue economy.”
He pointed out that though the national policy on the development of blue economy and the pathway to follow was clear, operators of the blue economy still needed to come together for corporate knowledge.
He said the conference also afforded the opportunity for participants to learn from what other countries were doing, which would provide a clear vision for Nigeria’s blue economy.
The D-G said the meeting had in attendance boat builders who assist with remote data, who could map help ocean resources to know what was available in the ocean for adequate future planning.
Mainstream Nigeria reports that blue economy is an economic system or sector that seeks to conserve marine and freshwater environments, while using them in a sustainable way to develop economic growth.
Odusanya hinted that the relationship between agriculture and environmental husbandry would also be brought forward.
“The relationship between the customs and the Nigerian navy in ensuring that this economy becomes localised will also be discussed,” he said.
He argued that to start the blue economy by opening it up as a new way of generating income, required new set of skills and a system of training.
He noted that such trainings, if properly strategiesd, would be in form of vocational skills.
Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, Secretary General of Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions(ASURI), told NAN that Nigeria was one of the most naturally endowed nations in the world.
He said one of those endowments was blue economy and the capacity to harness it.
“Anytime you’re flying, just look through the window, you will wonder whether this country was specially designed with waterways.
“You can see rivers crisscrossing the whole length and breath of Nigeria,” Ndubuaku said.
He said the waters in Nigeria are “solid resources that any country can live with,” while citing examples of countries who were in want of water for their agriculture.
He said Nigeria has big rivers and coastal region and didn’t depend on rainfed agriculture, and the waters could be used to produce enough fish to feed the world.
He also mentioned it could be used as a means of transportation, adding that Nigeria has no business importing fish.
However, he urged the government that funds should be allocated to research to drive the blue economy and other researches which will fastrack national progress.
Highlight of the conference was presentations, goodwill mesages, interactive sessions, policy dialogue, exhibitions of successful technologies and networking.(Mainstream)
