President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday announced the establishment of the National Engineering and Innovation Fund.

Mr Tinubu said this at the Nigerian Society of Engineers 2024 International Engineering Conference Exhibition and Annual General Meeting in Abuja.

“I am proud to announce the establishment of the National Engineering and Innovation Fund. It is a new initiative designed to provide grants and resources to engineers and technologists working on solutions for Nigeria’s unique challenges.

“With this fund, we aim to support local innovations, encourage entrepreneurship, and ensure that Nigeria remains at the forefront of engineering advancement in Africa.

“It is also aimed at strengthening regulations and standards. This is because a commitment to quality and safety is at the heart of responsible engineering,” Mr Tinubu said.

He promised to work closely with the NSE and other regulatory bodies to ensure that only licensed and qualified professionals were entrusted with critical national projects.

He encouraged the engineering community to continue exploring solutions in solar, wind, and other renewable energy technologies for access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, commended NSE for its continued commitment and support to developing agriculture in Nigeria.

Mr Kyari said, “As we are all aware, Nigeria’s food security and climate resilience face pressing challenges that demand innovative and sustainable engineering solutions.

“Some of these engineering tools include emerging technologies, innovative concepts, further reduction in post-harvest losses, and increased usage of agricultural machinery for enhanced productivity and efficiency.”

Mr Kyari urged engineers to work on affordable and adaptable machinery that suited Nigerian crops and terrains, encouraging mechanised farming to increase efficiency and productivity.

He also called on engineers to design sustainable storage facilities and processing technologies to minimise post-harvest losses, especially those that could be deployed in rural communities.

He said that affordable solar, biogas and other renewable energy systems would revolutionise agriculture in off-grid areas by providing reliable power for irrigation, processing, and storage.

He said that the federal government was interested in the outcome of the gathering to collaborate, support, and push for legislation that would promote sustainable engineering solutions in agriculture through an enabling environment for innovation.

Governor Babagana Zulum called on engineers to invest in research in irrigation, food cultivation, water harvesting, mechanisation, and environmental degradation, among others, to boost food production.

Mr Zulum also called on the NSE to invest in the utilisation of alternative energy sources, especially geothermal, solar power, and biomass energy, to reduce or slow greenhouse gas emissions in Nigeria.

(NAN)