The technology consciousness is heating up in the Southeast region, and the Ministry of Science and Technology has reiterated commitment towards the redirection of Nigeria’s economy which has been based on oil to science and technology.
Tenece Group recently organized GenesysIgnite, the biggest technology startup convergence in Southeast and the Ministry has keyed into that vision to ensure that Nigeria continues to diversify and embrace technology.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu said the Nigerian economy from the 1960s had been based on resources such as palm oil, cocoa, etc. before moving to oil, explaining that there is a need for Nigeria to intensify efforts toward making science and technology a pillar.
He lamented that each time the price of these commodities drops; it affects the economy because Nigeria does not determine the prices of these commodities in the international market.
“If you look at all the recessions we have gone into, they all originated as a result of a sharp drop of our commodities in the international market, and that’s a problem because no economy should be dependent on commodities.”
The Ministry of Science and Technology in recent years had made some efforts to move away the Nigerian economy to substantially reduce the level of poverty in the country.
No country has ever become economically powerful without having a strong base on science and technology. Japan is an example of a country that has transformed through technology.
“After the Second World War Japan was regarded as a country where inferior products are gotten from, two decades later Japanese became well known for high-quality products to the point that the US had to impose a quota on cars to be imported from Japan.”
He advised the startups to take the full advantage of the Genesys Technology Hub leveraging their entrepreneurial spirit, charging them always to promote science and technology.
In his view, former Nigerian Senate President, Ken Nnamani charged all attendants at the GenesysIgnite to channel all their efforts towards technology instead of venturing into needless ventures.
“What Tenece is trying to ignite in the South East and Enugu State, in particular, is fantastic, by projecting and opening the eyes of our young people to tech disruptions.
““It is important because our people are ingenious and if we can apply the ingenuity in the tech ecosystem, we can compete with the Silicon Valley. It is high time we shift our ingenuity from snatching ballot boxes during elections, and channel the strengths to technology.”
