Nigeria should think innovation beyond technology to solve problems – Forum

Nigeria is today trailing some of its peers when certain economic indices are compared, but a recent forum organised by NigeriaBritain Association says the country can only make progress with innovative ideas that are not necessarily technology driven.

The forum advises Nigerians both in the public and private sectors to think of innovations on broader sense of adding value to life in order to solve the challenges slowing the country down.

The forum themed ‘ Innovation: Path to sustainable growth’ underscores government roles such as policies, incentives and tax breaks that enable innovations in Nigeria, but advises the private sector to always create innovations to surmount infrastructure and policy constraints.

KPMG official, Segun Zacchaeus, who led the discussion at the one-day forum, describes Nigeria’s economic challenges as ‘ wicked problems’ and says it is only through innovations the problems can be tackled.

Zacchaeus lists some of these perennial problems as diminishing growth, high level of poverty, unemployment, poor infrastructure, poor education and health systems and high number of out of school children in Nigeria, among others.

“Nigeria is currently in a quagmire with every indicator showing that Nigeria is in a serious situation. In strategy, this is called a wicked problem. It is a problem one tries to solve but it persists and as we go through the years, the problem is still there,” Zacchaeus says.

According to Zacchaeus, Nigeria’s economic challenges are further complicated with the changing world. “While Nigeria is battling with basic problems of unemployment, poverty, children out of school, insecurity, poor health care, poor education, the world has gone to the next level, which is the 4th industrial revolution.”