THE federal government is to establish a model Technology Incubation Centre in Abuja in a bid to promote science and to also set the pace for development of technological-based ventures in the country.
Minister of science and technology, Mrs. Grace Ekpihweri who made the disclosure at a meeting with management of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), said when operational the centre would focus on nurturing budding enterprises.
The Abuja Centre, she further said, would showcase viable research and development results to the potential budding entrepreneurs interested in small and medium industries in Nigeria.
She hinted that her ministry would pursue a Public-Private Partnership with stakeholders in an effort to boost patronage of research results by entrepreneurs and the banking sector.
The science and technology minister further directed the national board for technology incubation, to furnish her ministry with a comprehensive list of research results that are commercially viable, adding, “we will assist in marketing them to investors”.
She told the management of NBTI to concentrate its research efforts on small and medium enterprises, as this was the best way of creating jobs at the grassroots level.
The director-general of NBTI, Professor Gambo Laraba Abdullahi had earlier informed the minister that capital projects of the board were 100 percent completed but said he was dissatisfied at the way government was partnering with them at the centre.
Professor Laraba Abdullahi therefore maintained that existing centre are being strengthened through provision of needed infrastructure, state-of-the- art facilities as well as additional incubation units.
