Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, has urged the Federal Government to prohibit the importation of all foreign food goods that Nigeria can produce.
Mamora made the call during a ministerial media briefing organized by the presidential communications office at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to Mamora, the country lacks investors, hence most indigenous ideas are inactive and useless.
He stated that the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation is having difficulty getting research outputs to market, stressing that doing so would be perceived as doing something.
Mamora commented on what has been done with all of the inventions that the ministry has been able to create, saying, “What do we do with all of these inventions?” It’s a question we’ve been thinking about as well. It may interest you to know that nearly all of our agencies have invented something.
have forums for these engagements where all parties can meet.”
“We are also looking at how we can compel, as it were, a little bit of legislation that once these things are available, especially if they are protected because we also need to protect the intellectual property, we can’t just push them to the markets,” Mamora said.
“So the challenge is to find investors who will take these inventions and put them out there so that they can be useful to our people.”
“Once again, we have a responsibility in terms of our own nationalism.” One of the difficulties is that we have acquired a taste that is not regional. Rather, a strange taste. We have a predisposition to want to get something.
“However, getting these research outputs to market has always been a challenge.” Because we will not be considered as having done anything until and until we are able to take them to market.”While the ministry will continue to engage key parties, he says, it is also considering laws to mandate the protection of inventions before releasing them to the market.
Recognizing the ministry’s slow pace, he stated, “We need to do more in terms of having that handshake between research institutions and the market through investors and those who are interested – people who move around with their capital and would like to invest.”
“So, it’s a challenge that we know we’re still up against, and we’ll need to do more.”
“We have a lot of outputs that are collecting dust on shelves in various agencies.” So, what we’re doing is continuing to engage, continuing tohave forums for these engagements where all parties can meet.”
“We are also looking at how we can compel, as it were, a little bit of legislation that once these things are available, especially if they are protected because we also need to protect the intellectual property, we can’t just push them to the markets,” Mamora said.
“So the challenge is to find investors who will take these inventions and put them out there so that they can be useful to our people.”
“Once again, we have a responsibility in terms of our own nationalism.” One of the difficulties is that we have acquired a taste that is not regional. Rather, a strange taste. We have a predisposition to want to get something.
