By Festus Obot
In an effort to chart a new and progressive course for the development of Nigeria’s local raw materials for optimal utilisation by industries, experts have unanimously called on the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) to re-strategize and rejig its operations to position it to favourably compete in the global raw materials marketplace.
In a two-day strategic goal setting session for senior management staff of the Council, the experts drawn from the academia and industry challenged participants to break from the norm and envision a novel approach to achieving the Council’s objectives and mandate.
Speaking during the opening session of the two-day event, Mr. Temitope Toogun, CEO Cognitive Advisory and seasoned Consultant on innovation and entrepreneurship commended the milestone achievement of the Council on its forty-two (42) patent projects. He emphasized the importance of commercial deployment of R&D breakthroughs which cuts across the sectoral groups of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). He contextualized RMRDC under the new leadership as a capability escalator.
Mr Toogun reiterated the Council’s enormous potential to commercialize its patents and birth multiple investment start-ups across the country.
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On the challenge of innovation management, Mr Toogun explained the use of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale which has 1-9 critical levels as follows: Levels 1-3 Research and Basic Applied Stage; Levels 4-6 Advanced Research and Technology Demonstration Stage and Levels 7-9 Operational Technological Validation Stage. He pointed out that RMRDC occupies Level 3-4 due to the absence of coordinated efforts in the Council’s R&D activities. Mr Toogun informed participants that by leveraging on current infrastructure, support systems and key enablers, the Council has huge potential to attain the highest level of the Technology Readiness Level.
On his part, Dr Olusiji Aina, a Development Economist and Commodity and Trade Specialist took participants through an engaging and interactive review of the Council’s current situation and admonished participants to always think along lines of partnership and collaboration with critical private organisations, government agencies, universities and relevant development partners. He emphasized that RMRDC has the capabilities to attract strategic development partners to play key roles in the Council’s R&D projects.
Dr Aina deployed the SWOT analysis tool to address identified challenges which had in the past hindered by the Council’s project executions. He stated that the RMRDC areas of strength and opportunities were far more than its threats and weaknesses.
Participants were guided to formulate strategic goals that the Council should strive to achieve within a short, medium and long term basis.
