TheCable

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) says it is planning to lift 2.5 million Nigerians out of poverty within five years through technology transfer.

Speaking on Wednesday at a media briefing in Abuja, Khalil Halilu, chief executive officer (CEO) of NASENI, said technology transfer will reduce import bills by 25 percent to $37.4 billion by 2030.

Technology transfer is the movement of data, inventions, materials, designs, software and other technical knowledge, from an organisation, or from a developed to a developing country, in an attempt to boost their economies.

Halilu said the agency will improve partnerships that would enable local manufacturing of top ten highly demanded commodities.

He said the agency is looking at creating over three million jobs through technology knowledge transfer to 300,000 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by 2030.

“We hope to increase import to N53.6 trillion by 2030 through value addition and strategic partnership to foreign markets,” he said.

He added that the organisation has been engaging in capacity building for SMEs by partnering with them to produce 35 market products.

He listed the market products to include electric tricycles, laptops, phones, lithium batteries, solar home systems, and solar irrigation equipment.

The NASENI CEO said three of the products have already been launched.

He said the agency has partnered with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to deploy its renewable energy technologies to rural communities.

“This strategic collaboration aims to enhance electricity visibility and supply in remote regions, contributing to the country’s sustainable development,” he said.

He further said the organisation is working to restore abandoned personnel carriers and abandoned weapons.

He added that about 55,000 broken-down tractors would also be revived and converted to cleaner energy — including compressed and liquefied natural gas.