The Africa Information Technology Exhibition and Empowerment Initiative (AFRITEX), an NGO, has called for the use of innovative solutions that would propel the country for greater development.

The Founder of AFRITEX Initiative, Mr Oyesola Oworu, made the appeal at the 2023 EdTech Summit and Awards in Abuja on Tuesday.

The event also featured collaborative efforts with CleanTech companies, environmental organisations and experts to showcase CleanTech solutions for schools.

The summit was themed: “Unlocking Nigeria’s Clean Technology for a Safer, Smarter, Sustainable Future”.
Oworu said that education, a pathway to development, must be embedded with technology so that what happened during the COVID pandemic would not take the country unawares.

He said there was however need to bridge Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education with Cleantech to have a sustainable environment.

According to him, government alone cannot provide the needed technology for the country’s advancement, but the development partners can join forces with the government to achieve this.

“In a world facing unprecedented challenges, it is imperative that we come together to deliberate on innovative solutions that not only propel our society into the future but also ensure a sustainable and cleaner environment for generations to come.
“The theme, ‘Unlocking Nigeria’s CleanTech potentials’, underscores the pressing need to harness the power of technology and innovation to address environmental issues and promote sustainable development.

“Nigeria, with its vast resources and dynamic population, has the potential to be a leader in clean technology, and this forum provides a platform for us to explore and capitalise on these opportunities.

“Simultaneously, the theme ‘Bridging STEM Education with CleanTech’ recognises the crucial role education plays in shaping the future.

“By integrating STEM education with Cleantech, we aim to nurture generation of forward-thinking individuals equiped with the skills and knowledge needed to drive technology advancement in a sustainable and responsible manner,” he said.

Declaring open the summit, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, said STEM education played critical role in shaping the future generations toward technological inclination.
Mamman, represented by the Deputy Director, Science and Technology Department in the ministry, Mrs Gbemisola Olaniyan, said that equipping students with the needed skills would birth technological solutions.

“STEM education plays a crucial role in preparing students for the challenges of the modern world.

“It equips them with the requisite knowledge and skills to birth scientific and technological solutions to the world.

“This evolves at an unprecedented pace driven by the advancement in technology and the transformative power of the digital age.

“Every aspect of our lives is undergoing a reshaping through digital revolution, from the way we work to the way we communicate and learn, hence the need to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation.
“The past four editions of the summit have brought together the most dynamic and creative education professionals and enthusiasts from around the country for an intensive, highly collaborative exploration of new education technologies, best practices and pressing issues.

“Today, we are here to witness the 5th edition of the EdTech Summit and Awards which is aimed at reflecting on successes and challenges in STEM teaching as well as an opportunity to exchange ideas on the best ways to advance STEM education in Nigeria and Africa at large,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Director of ICT, National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr Lawal Faruk, challenged the innovation companies to get involved in building the technological innovations of students at the various universities in the country.

Faruk said this would help in developing graduates that would in turn be solution to problems hindering the growth of the country.

He added that that the universities had been given the opportunity to contribute 30 per cent to the curriculum with focus on the need of the local environment of the institution.
“The National Universities Commission has actually developed a policy for technology in our universities.

“That policy is available on our websites and what it does is to guide the universities and every other player as to what you can do and what you cannot do in terms of using technology in education.

“Also at the NUC, we’ve come to the realisation that our curriculum in Nigeria needs to be changed, so recently the NUC has developed what we call the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS).

“Prior to that, at the university level, the curriculum was designed by the NUC , approved by the federal government and it’s implemented 100 per cent, the NUC decided that it was time that has to change.

“What we have done now is that the NUC prescribed only 70 per cent of the curriculum while each individual university is allowed to contribute 30 per cent to the curriculum.

“Part of the reasons we did that was to allow the universities look at their local environment, look at the business environment, look at other partners and incorporate their needs into whatever they teach.
“So that when you produce graduates, they are better fit, trained and suitable for whatever industry you are producing,” he said.

At the exhibition stand, the Co-Founder of Tswini company, Mohammed Maishanu, showcasing a new generation of e-mobility and e-energy, said technology was the way to go to provide succour for Nigerians.

Maishanu said that with the hike in transportation occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy, there was need to diversity into other means, leverage on technology to provide solutions to our problems.

“You could tell as an individual living in Nigeria that there is hike in transportation, so this is also to leverage on such technology to bring ease to that.

“There is what we call carbon credit, we generate carbon credit to make people have livelihood or source of income and it’s also going to curb emission.

“With the change in transition from fuel cars to electric, it is going to provide solutions to our nation.

“Already the government has set out a plan-the energy transition plan, it was a commitment that was declared at the climate change conference and the government has made a commitment to go net zero by 2060.

“So Tswini is playing a pivoted role in trying to make contribution to what government in doing. We are attracting foreign direct investments and also playing a vital role in that initiative to provide succour to Nigerians,” he said. (NAN)