Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, says Nigeria has recorded breakthrough in the import reduction by cumulatively saving N5.03 trillion between 2017 and 2020.

Disclosing this at the closing ceremony of the 2022 STI Expo in Abuja, on Friday, Mr Onu said the figure was derived from data by the United Nations Harmonised System Code and the National Bureau of Statistics.

He said, due to advancement in STI, the nation had become a home for start-ups, “as technology had been transferred to many of the nation’s micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.”

Mr Onu said, “in the past six years, the country had made significant breakthrough in providing remedy to major diseases in form of drugs and medicine derived from our indigenous natural ingredients.”

He added that the country had progressed in developing new drugs at different levels of certification, including clinical trials.

In the areas of agriculture and food security, the minister said the nation’s efforts are highly commendable.

“Through research and innovation, efforts are ongoing to provide food security, as well as agro-raw materials for industries.”

The minister said that Nigerian youths have been encouraged to actively participate in the STI sub-sector through studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

On gender balance, he said, “we embarked on gender-sensitive programmes to make STI inclusive. This is to improve the participation of girls and women in scientific research and innovation activities.”

(NAN)