By Perpetua Onuegbu
Abuja – The National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) said on Friday the entrepreneurs from its centres were utilising their skills to contribute to national economic growth.
Prof. Mohammed Jubrin, the Director-General of the board said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
According to Jubrin, the entrepreneurs that are trained at the over 30 centres and seven extension offices across the country are those who have been using their entrepreneurial skills to add value to the economic growth of the country.
He said that through the fabrications of the entrepreneurs, it had been possible for farmers and other small businesses to strive thereby creating employment and social security for many citizens.
“Our entrepreneurs contribute to the economic development of the nation with their fabrications apart from empowering themselves they also create jobs for others.
“Some entrepreneurs in Kano have fabricated various simple but innovative machines in their effort to develop their business activities within the boundaries of the Technology Incubation Programme and its mandate.
“One of these fabrications is the Soya Beans De-stoner, fabricated by Kamilu Welding Services, this machine is fashioned to be able to remove stone and dirt from soya beans seeds and make it ready for use.
“Also another of the fabrications is from Kamilu Welding Services in conjunction with Jameel Electronics and because we have always encouraged synergy among trainees, they fabricated an Automatic Bread Oven that switches off itself when the pastries are done,’’ Jubrin said.
He added that some machines were also fabricated that for drying and grinding farm products for storage making the much need value chain of farm produce possible.
The NBTI boss said these were just a few of the things the entrepreneurs fabricated using local materials, adding that “a number of them are also into food processing’’.
Jubrin recalled that in 2016, about 200 Almajiri youths were taken off the streets when they were taught how to fabricate grinding machines which created employment for them.
He however urged Nigerians to patronise the products of these entrepreneurs to encourage them and build the nation’s economy.
NAN reports that the Technology Incubation Programme was set up as a policy thrust to pursue the commercialisation of technologies and technical innovations to enhance the industrial and economic competiveness of the nation.