The Nigerian government has entered into agreements with the Czech Republic to finance and support research, development, and innovation projects in Agriculture, Mining, and General Manufacturing specifically targeting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
The National Agency for Science & Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) announced this development through its official X Handle on Monday, December 18, 2023.
This marks the beginning of the Delta-2 Program, involving the allocation of funding to chosen projects and the formalization of implementation agreements.
Notably, one of these agreements includes the issuance of a production license for the establishment of a coal fertilizer factory in Nigeria.
The signing of the Bilateral agreement between the two countries took place at the Technology Orientation Centre, NASENI Headquarters, Abuja.
For the initial phase of the Delta-2 program, 11 projects underwent a funding selection process initiated in 2022.
Selected projects and partner organisation/institutions
The selected projects include; development of bioethanol production in multiple foodstock in the Federal University, Akure, Aeroponics farming with Federal Poly, Offa as lead organisation, conversion of banana stem into hair extension in partnership with Chemtech farms as lead organisation, and agro-waste conversion for animal feed and industrial fibre production.
Others are potato farming, processing andark meting in partnership with El Naandy Nigeria Ltd, industrial wastewater purification in partnership with Federal University, Minna, development of natura fibre reinforced plastic for electrical cable installation in partnership with Cutix plc and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
The Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer/Information Exchange between Nigeria and the Czech Republic (PICTT) is responsible for overseeing and implementing the Delta-2 Program.
In this phase of Delta-2, the 11 projects slated for funding all entail collaborations between Nigerian and Czech organizations.
These projects span a diverse range, including bioethanol production, aeroponics farming, smart irrigation, waste conversion, and legal research software.
