The Abia State government says it has deployed a pilot biogas project in a secondary school at Owerrinta, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area, as part of efforts to promote renewable energy and innovation in the state.

The state Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, David Kalu, said this this on Monday in Umuahia during a news conference on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting.

Mr Kalu described the project as a locally-driven renewable energy initiative designed to test the viability, affordability and replicability of biogas technology in schools and institutions across the state.

According to him, the pilot project which was recently deployed in the school, is expected to begin gas production within four weeks.

“The idea is to determine whether it is easy to implement, cost-effective and acceptable to the school community. If successful, it can be replicated in other schools and institutions across the state,” he said.

He said the state government would evaluate feedback from the school before considering a wider rollout of the initiative.

Mr Kalu also spoke on the Federal Government’s “Energised Commercialisation Now” an initiative aimed at promoting research and innovation across the country.

He explained that the programme encouraged states to identify viable research projects that could be recognised and commercialised at the national level.

He stated that Abia State was directed to establish a committee comprising representatives from government, academia and industry to coordinate the initiative within the state.

The commissioner said the committee would include members from institutions such as Abia State University, Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, as well as stakeholders from the private sector.

He added that the committee would identify and assemble credible and commercially viable research projects from across the state for presentation at the federal level.

Mr Kalu noted that the state government also intended to leverage the committee to develop a comprehensive research and innovation policy for Abia State.

He said the proposed policy would focus on encouraging research that addresses the state’s needs, utilises local resources and supports commercially viable innovations.

Also, the state Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, told journalists that the biogas initiative had been designed to demonstrate the viability of generating renewable energy from organic waste within schools and other institutions.

According to him, the project, when fully operational, will also generate research data to support potential large-scale deployment across the state.

Mr Kanu also said that the initiative aligned with the state’s innovation, science and technology framework aimed at strengthening research and development.

He also announced that the state had secured approval to establish a committee to drive the Federal Government-inspired “Energised Commercialisation Now” programme.

He explained that the committee would comprise credible innovators, startups and researchers, and would also facilitate the preparation and presentation of market-ready innovations and research outputs.

The commissioner said that the committee would further strengthen collaboration among academia, industry and government stakeholders while promoting inclusivity with special emphasis on youth and women participation.

(NAN)