Local Technologists, Innovators Seek Funding to Reduce Machinery Imports

 Bennett Oghifo 

Local innovators and technologists are seeking research funding to enable them produce machine parts and equipment to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imports.

Statistics released last year shows that Nigeria’s imports of machine parts and equipment was about $9 billion, spurring these innovators that converged at the Hardware Convention 2021 to seek funding assistance to stop the revenue leakage.

Hardware Convention 2021 was organised by Clintonel Innovation Centre (CIC), hardware Startup Incubator that provides training, mentoring and equipment for young people to create engineering innovations, build indigenous products and start up technology businesses.

At the convention, professionals canvassed the need to grow the local hardware industry. They included Emeka Okoye, Emeka Okafor, Anna Crawford, Prof. Rebecca Shipley, Jorge Appiah, Tony Alaegor, Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu, Julian Mbakwe, Ifeoma Malo and Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata.

According to Tochukwu Chukwueke, the convener of Hardware Convention 2021, which held in Aba, Abia State, “the neglect of the hardware sector is one of the major reasons Nigeria is suffering from 33 per cent unemployment rate (one of the highest in the world) and 60 per cent poverty rate.

“The hardware sector is responsible for producing and maintaining the tools, machines and equipment required by the manufacturing sector which is a major employer of labour. “Today, Nigerian industries rely heavily on importation for virtually all the machinery they use, causing Nigeria to lose a lot of forex and the Naira to depreciate in value. Last year Nigeria imported machinery worth $9 billion, $3 billion for manufacturing tools. The hardware sector is also responsible for producing Military equipment as well as several consumer goods like electronics and domestic appliances. Until we pay serious attention to developing the Nigerian hardware sector, Nigeria may never experience any meaningful development, job creation or poverty reduction.”

He said concerned stakeholders were nurturing a multi-industrial hardware innovation hub to drive development of equipment and adoption of emerging technologies in Aba.

Chukwueke urged investors to support local fabrication and hardware hubs, and that a lot is happening to grow the local tech sector.

A substantial portion of the innovations, he said are the ones that are regarded as high‑tech products, especially those related to telecommunications equipment, semiconductors and computer items.

He explained that there is hardware to support consumer electronics for domestic use, including a wide range of audio‑visual equipment, computer products and telecommunications equipment.

“There are local capacities for building hardware to power PCs, vehicles, electrical devices,” he said, “adding local innovators are proving solutions to tackle numerous challenges the industry is facing exploring opportunities created by emerging technologies driven by conductor-enabled devices.”

Chukwueke said with their made in Aba initiative, the innovators have been about to aggregate efforts employing financial incentives to develop “domestic semiconductor industry, and establish Nigeria as a tech leader.”

Aba, he said, “has become a geo focal point as the nation tries to secure the manufacturing base.”