NCDMB launches N60m Science & Technology Innovation Challenge

Nigerian Content Development and Mo n i - toring Board (NCDMB) on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, has launched the Nigerian Content Science and Technology Innovation Challenge (STIC) for all students of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

The N60 million STIC challenge fully funded by the NCDMB is an initiative to motivate and challenge Nigerian undergraduates to embrace the culture of Research and Development, Applied Science, Technology and Innovation to create human solutions in the oil and gas industry and other sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Speaking at the launch of the Nigerian Content STIC contest in Lagos, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, described it as one of the several initiatives the Board is implementing to develop indigenous capabilities.

“We believe that tapping from the ingenuity of our young talents, we will enhance the delivery of the various strategic initiatives enunciated in our 10 Year Strategic Roadmap,” Wabote said at the event.

He emphasized that “with about 170 public and private universities in Nigeria producing more than half a million graduates every year, we see huge opportunities to extract brilliant ideas from our agile and very creative youths to solve current and future challenges.”

He added that “The mission of ENACTUS is to ‘engage the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders to use innovation and business principles to improve the world.’ Our interest is to catalyse this for the Nigerian youths.”

Noting that the world was already in the era of cloud computing, Internet of Things, Robotics and Big Data, where Technology and innovation have revolutionized the business environment and tech firms are beginning to worth more and earn much more than the conventional businesses, Wabote challenged Nigerians to position themselves for the technological changes.