NBTI Screens 80 Entrepreneurs For Admission In Tech Incubation Centres
The National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) on Wednesday began screening 80 applications of prospective entrepreneurs for admission into its Technology Incubation Centres (TIC).
The Director of Operations, NBTI, Mr Abdullahi Maiturari, while addressing members of the screening committee in Abuja on Wednesday, said the exercise was aimed at achieving the self-reliance agenda of the Federal Government.
He said the mandate of the board is to ensure the commercialization of technologies and technical innovations in a method that would enhance rapid indigenous industrialization and economic competitiveness.
“To realize this, the board has established technology incubation centres in all the 36 states of the nation with extension offices in some states,’’ he said.
According to him, TIC incubation is demand-driven, value-added and bankable innovations and Research and Development (R&D)-oriented by Nigerians, leading to the manufacture of consumer products and setting up of various scales of industries.
Maiturari said that any Nigerians with innovations or R&D results wishing to become an entrepreneur or manufacture consumer products would come up with such results produced from research conducted.
“Any entrepreneur(s) wishing to set up an industry of his or her own would apply to be admitted into the TIC, after which they would undergo a screening process.
“During this screening, we consider their business plans which must be bankable; then the feasibility studies, prototypes, among others are some of the criteria that must be met.
“After a successful screening, they are registered as incubates in any TIC near to them where they undergo intensive three-year training in the manufacturing process of their product so as to become an entrepreneur/industrialist.
“Successful graduands from the TIC would be injected into the economy.
“This would promote accelerated re-industrialization, yield more contribution to Gross Domestic Products, increased foreign exchange, more government revenue in form of taxes and more job opportunities,’’ he said.
He added that successful graduands were also linked to agencies relevant to the success of their businesses where they could acquire local and international certifications.
“The Technology Incubation Programme (TIP) offers shared working spaces/offices to promote teamwork, hands-on management assistance, access to finance, networking/linkages to knowledge and exposure to critical business support.
“Others are technical and legal support services that will enhance the success of participants enterprise.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that key areas of specialisation to be screened include: the fabrication of Agro machines, chemical processing, agro-allied processing, ICT and other innovative.
NAN
