By Festus Obot
The Institute of International Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) have expressed their readiness to collaborate in upgrading the Council’s Technology Innovation Centre.
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This was made known when the Director General of RMRDC, Prof Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso led the IITA Deputy Director General, Dr Kenton Dashiell on a guided facility tour of the Technology Innovation Centre domiciled within the Obasanjo Space Centre, Airport Road, Abuja.
Prof Ike-Muonso informed his guest that the Technology Innovation Centre was established by the Council and houses over 40 locally designed and fabricated pilot plants. He stated that each of the pilot plants has been tested and can produce quality products that are in high demand by industries. The DG further informed the IITA Deputy Director General that the plants are the Council’s demonstration that there exists enough capacity in the Country to catalyse industrial growth and development in Nigeria as captured in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu. While calling on investors and entrepreneurs to visit the TIC and collaborate with the Council for the commercialization of the Pilot Plants, he emphasized that the Council’s new direction is to embark on market driven research rather than research for the sake of research.


The IITA Deputy Director General, Dr Kenton Dashiell expressed delight at the laudable initiative of the Council in setting up the Technology Innovation Centre. He assured his host that IITA would be willing to partner with the Council to scale up the Centre and reposition it to respond to emerging global realities.

