The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has opened discussions with Czech Republic’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Zdeněk Krejčí, to secure support for its efforts aimed at resuscitating the Delta-2 project.
The project is a technology transfer programme between Nigeria and the Czech Republic, which commenced in 2020 but the implementation could not be flagged off by the two countries
The Executive Vice Chairman of the agency, Dr. Bashir Gwandu, who opened the project’s revival discussions with the Ambassador during his visit to the Czech’s Embassy in Abuja, explained that his visit to the envoy was to know why the project, which is designed to benefit Nigeria’s technology companies and entrepreneurs and the country’s economic development, was abandoned.
According to him, the Delta-2 project is designed to be a bilateral collaboration between the governments of Nigeria (represented by NASENI) and the Czech Republic (represented by Technology Agency of Czech Republic, TA CR) to facilitate the take-off of projects that would foster growth and expansion of infrastructure, manufacturing, and innovation in Nigeria leading to Made-in-Nigeria technologies and products.
Speaking on his desire for improved partnership between the two countries, especially on resuscitation of the abandoned project, the NASENI boss said: “I want us to work on -government-to-government level on new initiatives we embark on. We want a relationship that is beneficial to our country. We have a lot of companies we are reaching out to. We want to work with the Czech government and companies. We want them to come here and start producing and domesticating technologies. We want to industrialize Nigeria.
“We want Czech companies to come and invest here in Nigeria and have a partnership with us,” Gwandu said, adding that NASENI is working on new initiatives that would accelerate Nigeria’s industrialization and would partner with companies from the Czech Republic and other countries ready to set up factories and industrial base in Nigeria”, Gwandu added.
He expressed the readiness of NASENI to work with the Czech government to drive Nigeria’s industrialization agenda and attract new investments in the country that would ensure the domestication of technologies through partnerships.
Responding to the issues raised by the NASENI chief, Czech Ambassador said: “We await your new initiatives. In our country, we have a grant agency and a technology agency responsible for scientific cooperation and also the Academy of Sciences which will be beneficial to you.
“We have about two or three companies that are ready to work with you and three universities working with tropical agriculture. I think they deserve your cooperation”, Krejčí added.
