Minister of Science and Technology (State), Henry Ikoh, says the Project Development Institute (PRODA), Enugu, is set to commence the production of vehicle parts.

During an official visit to the institute on Saturday in Enugu, Mr Ikoh said the production was in partnership with INNOSON Group of Companies.

Mr Ikoh said the production of the motor parts was part of the federal government’s efforts to diversify Nigeria’s economy.

The minister said Nigeria had both the manpower and resources to explore such a possibility, but it was not done over the years due to a lack of political will.

He said the current administration was keen to encourage PRODA and other research institutes to patent and commercialise their research outcomes.

The minister said the move would ensure job creation for the youths, adding that PRODA had the capacity to excel in that area.

According to Mr Ikoh, the ministry intends to use the remaining period of the current administration to place PRODA on a strong footing to achieve its mandate.

“We are looking for low-hanging fruits in order to leave a legacy between now and March 2023.

“As a country, we do not need to import everything we use. We should be able to produce certain types of machines and equipment for our industries,” he said.

Mr Ikoh said that despite the breakthroughs that PRODA had made, it was not where it should be.

Earlier, the director-general of PRODA, Peter Ogbobe, said the institute was at the forefront of repositioning the Nigerian economy.

The director general, however, said that much still needed to be achieved by the institute in order to build the technological base of the country.

Mr Ogbobe said that the PRODA Amendment Bill, which was before the National Assembly, was one of the instruments and legal frameworks needed to enhance their operations.

He mentioned other challenges to include the encroachment of portions of the land housing the Ekulu Machine Workshop by agents of the state ministry of housing.

Mr Ogbobe appealed for the intervention of the federal government on the deplorable link road which leads to the Ekulu Workshop from the Enugu -Abakaliki Expressway. 

(NAN)