The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), says it will host an engineering Olympiad to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), among youths
The General Manager, Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, Mr Esueme Kikile, said this on Monday, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He said different programmes in the entertainment and social circle appeal to the youth, but there are few programmes designed to promote STEM.
“As part of the process of encouraging STEM education in Nigeria, NCDMB is proposing to work with the oil and gas industry and other partners to host an Engineering Olympiad in this country.
“It will be a competition among Nigerian universities, different groups, and student groups that will come together to propose ideas that can then be selected to feature in the Engineering Olympiad.
“It is strictly a programme that is restricted to Nigerian university students to be able to sell their ideas,’’ he said.
Kikile said the ideas would be moved to become productive ventures, solutions that would help the country.
“We are still in the idea stage, we are still working with our partners and we expect that by the time the announcement is made, it will encourage all universities in Nigeria to participate,’’ Kikile said.
On their $50 million research fund domicile with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kikile said that their ten-year Strategic Roadmap, 2017-2027, gave priority to Research and Development (R&D).
He believed that the topmost economies of the world were countries that made huge investments in research, hence a correlation with economic development and innovation.
Kikile said that researchers could access the research fund through their subsidiary, the Nigerian Content Research and Development Council, which calls for research papers from individuals, institutions and organisations.
“There is an evaluation committee from the council that goes through all the submissions, screens the selected papers and then moves them into the NCDMB Technology Incubation and Innovation Centre.
“At the end, whatever papers scale the processes, the NCDMB provides a seed fund that helps in transforming that idea into a solution that solves problems for our country. To be able to benefit, one of the easiest ways is to go to the NCDMB website, www.ncdmb.gov.ng, and you will be able to see the processes and procedures required for accessing the fund,” he said.
Kikile said the fund would enhance innovative solutions, boost economic growth, and foster development.
(NAN)
