ABUJA – The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Abdu Bulama, on Wednesday in Abuja commended the management of National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) for producing Ebola test kits.
The minister made the commendation at a management meeting he held with Prof. Lucy Ogbadu, Director General, NABDA and the staff of the agency.
Bulama said it was a call of responsibility that the agency woke up to in researching with its foreign partners to produce the test kits.
The minister urged the staff of the agency to do more in the areas of research and technology by collaborating with other sister agencies and the ministry. [eap_ad_2]
“NABDA is one of the research centres we have presently in the country; we need to encourage Nigerians to acknowledge our worth in the areas of research.
“We have to strategise on key projects and see how we can develop and complete them; we must ensure that all our laboratories are well equipped, completed and functional.
“We need more force to promote Biotech in the country and this can be achieved easily through your cooperation with the leadership,’’ he said.
The minister also urged the agency to look for other means of sourcing for funds instead of depending on the Federal Government.
Earlier, Ogbadu, said that the diagnostic kits for the disease based on its genome map were developed by some scientists in the agency and its Korea partners.
“As matter of fact, when Ebola first broke out in other parts of Africa, the Western world sequenced the virus.
“We got the information and we started working on possible solution alongside our counterpart in Korea to develop diagnostic kits for NABDA,” she said. (NAN) [eap_ad_3]
