Akpan calls for more private sector participation in STI

Mohammed approved the names of the winners that will be honoured at the ‘Dubai Sports Excellence Model Awards’ ceremony for their contribution to the sports sector. Present at the meeting were also members of the Board of Directors – Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Maryam Al Hammadi, Mohammed Al Kamali, Ahmad Al Shafar, Moaza Saeed Al Marri, and Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of the Council – as well as Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of the Council; and Saleh Abdulla Al Marzooqi, Director of the Corporate Support Department at the Council. Organised under the slogan ‘Unlimited Ambitions’, the 2021 ‘Dubai Sports Excellence Model Awards’ will honour five winners in the Individual Excellence Category and four in the Institutional Excellence Category. The five awards in the Individual Excellence Category are: Best Football Player; Best Player Male/Female in Individual Sports; Best Player Male/Female in Team Sports; Best Male/Female Player in the People of Determination Category – Individual Sports; and Best Male/Female Player in the People of Determination Category – Team Sports. In the Institutional Excellence Category, the winners will be announced in four different categories, which include: Best Football Company; Best Sports Games Sector/Company; Best Games Sector/Football Company in Corporate Efficiency; and Best Initiative – Pandemic Related. Alongside these categories, the Awards will also honour a select group of players, coaches, administrators and sports institutions who have excelled during the past season. The ‘Dubai Sports Excellence Model Awards’ seeks to implement the Government’s strategic directives to support the development of the sports sector in Dubai and help it reach international standards. The Awards are also part of the Dubai Sports Council’s continuous efforts to honour individuals and sports entities in Dubai clubs and football companies for their achievements in the sports sector and their contribution to raising the overall industry standards. The Dubai Sports Excellence Model addresses all aspects of sports administrative and service – and the performance of clubs and sports companies. Points are given in the following criteria: sporting achievements (30%); institutional efficiency (25%); standard of integrated talent care (15%); standard of sports facilities (10%); commitment to sportsmanship (10%); contribution to the community (5%) and innovation (5%).

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Mr. Edet Sunday Akpan has called on the Organized Private Sectors (OPS) to explore ways of partnering with the various Research Institutes and Agencies in commercializing viable products and services for the nations benefit. The Permanent Secretary said this when he declared open the 19th Meeting of the National Council on Science, Technology and Innovation (NCSTI) in Abuja on Monday. The theme of the council Meeting is “Investment in Research and Development: A Necessary Tool to Improving Nigerian Economy’’. He said that the Ministry was working tirelessly towards the reduction and elimination of the current high level of stand-alone research efforts scattered all over the country, especially those tied to national priorities. Mr. Edet said the council, is a veritable platform to ensure that all relevant stakeholders in the STI sector are fully integrated and involved in the development and deployment of STI in addressing national issues. The Permanent Secretary further affirmed that STI constitutes the engine of socioeconomic advancement of any nation, adding that there is a need for closer collaboration among the three tiers of government.