The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to accord priority to the development of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), so as to enable the sub-regional body to be more self- reliant, create wealth and provide employment opportunities for its citizens.
Onu gave the advice when he received the ECOWAS Commissioner for Education, Science and culture, Prof. Leopoido Amado who paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja. Onu also said that the Ministry is making significant contributions in managing the Covid-19 pandemic by developing of affordable testing kits as well as Personal Protection Equipment’s (PPE’s).
In his words, “We have developed equipment’s to help disinfect our public offices, and using reversed engineering to locally produce ventilators while also encouraging researchers on local herbs to manage the Covid-19 pandemic”. According to the Minister, the efforts to curb the Covid-19 pandemic is yielding positive results and encouraged Nigerian scientists to intensify their research efforts to create lasting solutions to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Onu told the ECOWAS envoy that the Nigerian academy of Science has been invited to help verify the efficacy of herbal products submitted by researchers to help manage Covid-19. He commended the Commissioner, for his contributions to the development of STI in the West-African sub-region.
