A MULTIDIMENSIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Engr Umar B. Bindir PhD, FNSE, FNSAE, CEng

DIRECTOR GENERAL/CEO
NATIONAL OFFICE FOR TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION AND PROMOTION (NOTAP)

A PRESENTATION AT THE ENGINEERING IS DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

ABUJA SHERATON HOTEL
8TH – 10TH NOVEMBER 2010

THE ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERS OF NIGERIA (ACEN) 2010

Introduction
Dr Bindir is a Professional Engineer who specialised in Agricultural Machinery Design and
Development Engineering. He has had a vast experience in the profession and has worked in
many countries globally.

His experiences included clear and practical linkage of scientific and technological R&D
outputs to industry.

This paper attempts to introduce the concepts and dynamics of the Triple Helix (Government,
Academia and Industry) as a model of a Multidimensional Framework for National
Development. It applies to the acquisition and application of Science, Technology and
Innovation in the effective process to generate employment, enhance skills, improve
productivity and polish up technology based policy making.

Specific references are made on the Nigerian environment mainly to explain the concept
linked to the ongoing policy to develop the economy to be one of the top twenty in the next
10 years (by the year 2020).

To fully be a successful participant in today’s Globalised World, developing countries must

evaluate the histories and urgently register the lessons and experiences of the developed and
economically successful countries of the World, and adopt some or all the processes involved.

Europe was the “first” Continent to “discover” the “modern techniques” of sustainable
development, and today, most of its countries are members of the First World. The North
Americans later learnt and followed suit with the same consequences, and today we are
witnessing the fast pace of quality economic development in several countries hitherto
“undeveloped”, especially in the South East Asian Continent.

Clearly, in addition to the deployment of traits of the “free market”, combined with stable and
disciplined polity that encouraged the practice of the “rule of law”, the common major driver
in all these Continents remained the timely application of “formal Science, Technology and
high value knowledge”.

Despite the fact that geographically (in terms of land mass), the African Continent can
comfortably consume the USA, Europe, Australia, Japan and Brazil, in contrast, Africa has
largely remained a “problem” continent in terms of the present norms of development. The
obvious question is why?

To answer this question, the subject matter of this paper is broadly focussed on the linkage
between the application of Science, Technology and Innovation on one hand, and sustainable
development on the other.

To ensure clarity and focus while minimising the use of theoretical arguments, the author
deliberately details the discussions based on Nigeria’s “experiences” and future development
aspirations, especially in its strategies to use Science, Engineering, Technology and
Innovation (SETI) to become a global economic player.

A linear or tangential application of the arguments presented here may be applied for most
other developing economies.

Fundamentals on SETI based Development

Generally, the strategic use of knowledge for development is not new. It is especially
imperative for developing any knowledge based economy of the 21st century. Africa can learn
from the experiences of the developed countries in Europe, North America and now Asia in
the process of deploying SETI for achieving its development aspirations. It is worth noting
that in the modern world, the evolution and use of a highly developed SETI system is
unavoidable in steering any desired modern development. In this regard, the most common
attributes of such economies include the following:
a) Having a clearly defined National SETI Policy that has been indigenously articulated
based on transparent resolutions and active participation of both the leadership and the
followership. This clearly demonstrates the total ownership on the evolution and
application of SETI for development;
b) The existence and functional vibrancy of a well coordinated SETI system including
highly performing and globally rated Universities, Research Institutions and other
secondary and tertiary education/capacity building institutions;
c) The dynamic functionality of National Systems of Innovation (NSI) which imply the
clustering, networking, partnerships and synergies of related institutions to operate and
 perform efficiently, especially in the process of producing and sharing information &
competences and their mutual relationships;
d) Maintaining high investment in Research, Development and Innovation, including high
and sustained investment in scientific R&D by the private sector;
e) The use of clearly defined Technology Acquisition priority flagships that recognises the
comparative advantages of the countries, mainly to unleash, trigger and drive their
economies to perform better and be globally visible;
f) The development of a measurable, sustainable and beneficial Intellectual Property
Rights (IPR) system and Innovation culture to take advantages of knowledge
“monopoly”;
g) The strategic development and use of locally available Raw Material endowments for
the highest benefits and in a sustainable manner;
h) The intense use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to automate and
speed-up the economic system for total development;
i) Developing and maintaining firm Technology/Knowledge Planning and Governance to
ensure national visibility, presence and relevance globally; and
j) A deliberate development and sustained popularisation and regulation on the patronage
of domestically acquired technologies competitively.

In essence, it may not be misleading to infer that the socio-economic strength of any
nation/continent depends first, on its superior achievements in SETI, and secondly, its
capacity and capability to translate those achievements into products and processes for
prosperity and integrity (innovation).

Contrary to the traditions of classifying countries into First, Second and Third Worlds, and
lately a further classifications of the Third World into Developing Countries and Least
Developing Countries (LDCs), many of whom are in Africa, the African Continent must
realise that the objective of SETI in the process of solving problems are:
to reduce cost;
reduce cycle time;
simplify work;
improve productivity;
improve quality; and
 enhance customer (peoples) satisfaction.

These objectives are clearly the desires of the poor and since Africa has over 500 million poor
people, tapping the advantages of SETI to its highest level is a necessity in the Continent.
Furthermore, it MUST be noted that for any sustainable socio- economic development, there
is no shortcut to this. Africa must further note that the developed countries will not “open
their doors” of SETI. Access is continuously getting tighter. Africa MUST learn and urgently
apply the process of technology acquisition in all its ramifications through R&D, Technology
Transfer, Technology Adoption & Adaptation or in any other way possible.

The case of Nigeria

Since independence, Nigeria has attempted to industrialise its economy severally, and has
recorded experiences of mixed performance interpretations. Some of these activities included:
a) Failure to develop a virile Steel Industry (Ajaokuta, Katsina, Jos, Delta, etc) despite the
heavy investment deployed;
b) Failure to develop an Automobile manufacturing Industry despite the heavy investment
to establish VW, Peugeot, Mercedes Benz, Styre Tractor, etc…assembly plants;
c) Failure to establish functional Oil and Gas industry despite the heavy investments into
the setting up of full fledged refineries and petrochemical companies;
d) Failure to establish effective agricultural production systems despite the heavy
investments in many River Basin Development Authorities, Large sugar plantations,
Cocoa plantations, Palm Oil plantations, etc;
e) Failed attempts to develop infrastructure to develop Small and Medium Enterprises
despite the heavy investment into Industrial Development Centres (IDCs), and heavy
investment in projects meant to establish industries such as, Textile industries,
Aluminium smelting industries and several other Manufacturing Companies.

Nigeria has also experienced failures in many other areas aimed at meeting specific targets in
the past. Some include:
a) The Green Revolution programme for sustainable agricultural development;
b) Operation Feed the Nation for food security,
c) Mass Mobilisation for Social and Economic Reconstruction (MAMSER);
d) National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND);
e) Lately, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs);
 f) Etc

The Current Nigerian Vision (Diagnosis)

From the above experiences, it is apparent that since independence in 1960, Nigeria has had
various attempts aimed at developing and modernising its economy, with debatable levels of
successes and/or failures. Currently, Nigeria has launched a strategic vision, the Vision 20-
2020. Through this, the present democratic administration (since 2007) has clearly set the
template for developing Nigeria as one of the top 20 World Economic Powers by the year
2020, meaning that in the nest 10 years, Nigeria will be among the club of the First
World countries! Towards achieving this target, the administration has further revealed its
Mission strategy of deliberately concentrating on seven priority agenda areas commonly
coded as “The 7-Point Agenda” to drive the economy towards attaining the 20-2020 targets.

In launching these policies, His Excellency, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had
these to say among other motivational statements:
“…… Let us join hands together to erase the pains of today while working for the
gains of tomorrow (SACRIFICE);
Let us set aside cynicism and strive hard for the good society that we know is within
our reach (DISCIPLINED and POSITIVE);
Let us discard the habits of low expectations of ourselves as well as our leaders
(CONFIDENCE);
Let us stop justifying every shortcoming with that unacceptable phrase “the Nigerian
factor”, as if to be a Nigerian is to settle for less (PRIDE);
Let us capture the mood of optimism that defined us at the dawn of independence, that
legendary “can-do-spirit” that marked our Nigerianness (INSPIRATION and
PATRIOTISM);
Let us join hands together now, to build a society worthy of our children
(FUTURISTIC);
We have the talent, we have the intellect, and we have the ability. THE CHALLENGE
IS GREAT, THE GOAL IS CLEAR, AND THE TIME IS NOW…”

Any great leader could not have said it better, and remarkably, these positions have been
sustained by the present administration of His Excellency President Goodluck E. Jonathan!
Thus, for every Nigerian, it is necessary to recognise that the well known phrase “all hands
MUST be on deck” must be the norm. Therefore, it is important to understand the focus of
both the Vision 20-2020 and the 7-Point Agenda.

From the draft Vision 20-2020 document, it has been revealed that Nigeria’s economy must
transform from the current ~$295 billion GDP in 2009 to a whopping $900 billion by 2020.
This target is beyond the economy concentrating just on oil and gas resources. Indeed, for this
to happen, it cannot be business as usual. Many things must change! The economy has to
diversify and deliberately change with the main aim of improving its productive capacity and
capability. It MUST modernise and automate its production systems, improve the level of
quality value addition to its domestic raw materials, drastically reduce poverty, improve the
quality of infrastructure and transform the total economy from the current high consuming
base to a producing one. The Author strongly believe that all of these are possible, but highly
dependent on the optimum evolution and application of Science, Engineering, Technology
and Innovation (SETI) indigenously.

The 7-Point Agenda

The seven priority areas culminating into the 7-Point agenda are as follows:
1. Critical Infrastructure
2. Food Security
3. Wealth Creation
4. Land Reforms
5. National Security/Economic Stability.
6. Human Capital Development
7. Niger Delta

A close appraisal of the 7 points revealed that the selection is strategic, but highly coded.
Quite appropriately, the author envisages the following implementation strategy:

First, the Government is driven by Ministries designed around sectoral lines. The
implementation of the 7 points must not follow such sectoral lines since each agenda desire a
holistic and synergised consideration to be effective.
Secondly, 2020 is only 10 years away. Therefore the implementation MUST be designed on
the basis of a radical and revolutionary 10 year plan, with specific and measurable
deliverables for each year.

Thirdly, though Nigeria has always implemented Federal projects in line with considerations
of even distribution along the lines of the six geopolitical zones, the seven point agenda
MUST concentrate on the evolution of a National base and foundation that can set the process
for total National development.

In line with these three considerations, the following are further thoughts by the author in the
process of decoding the 7-points for clarity and measurable implementation:

1. Physically Nigeria resembles a rectangular shape with Abuja in the centre and the four
corners being at Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Lagos and Sokoto. We are aware that in
simplistic engineering understanding, a rectangle is an unstable structure that needs to
be stiffened using reinforcements and use of triangles. Based on that argument,
assuming that a ten year plan was revealed to portray that the “critical infrastructures -
highways, Railways, Power Transmission lines and Information and communication
fibres” will be established to include an 8-lane dual carriage highways from Maiduguri
through Abuja to Lagos and From Port Harcourt through Abuja to Sokoto to form a
sort of “a Nigerian Autobahn” physical infrastructure backbone. Assuming
additionally that the projects to implement such backbone is designed with firm policy
conditions that Nigeria will NOT import 50% of the needs (steel, cement, aluminium,
gravel, etc) for construction, and also that a minimum of 50% of the high level
capacity (labour) required on the projects MUST be Nigerians, imagine the impacts;
2. Similarly, the “food security” agenda point should be associated with a firm policy
required to evolve, for example 500, commercial and mechanised farms along the
above backbone infrastructure, with such agricultural enterprises deliberately focussed
on taking advantage of the proven agricultural resources and endowments known for
each area. Again, a deliberate strategy for the use of high content of indigenous
resources MUST be emphasized. Imagine the impacts;

3. In the same manner, the agenda point on “Wealth Creation” can be addressed through
the implementation of a 10 year plan to establish, for example 500 industries including
a reasonable number of hi-tech companies, well located along the infrastructure
backbone, deliberately set to take advantage of both the commercial farms, solid
minerals and also the backbone infrastructure. Imagine the impacts;

4. Naturally, the fourth agenda point “human capital development” MUST follow cue
since any strategy to deploy a high percentage of local content will naturally mean the
production of competencies and technology evolution capabilities locally. Even in the
 present day highly developed and the rapidly developing countries, investments in
human capacity development and education are on the increase. Therefore, in this
regard, marching orders MUST be given to institutions (Universities, Polytechnics and
Research Institutions) to target a clear reform in their institutions for higher
performance, credibility and visibility, so that highly qualified and skilled engineers,
farmers, doctors, pilots, etc are massively produced;
5. Similarly, for the infrastructure backbone, the commercially based mechanised
farming systems and the industries to be timely and effectively implemented, the fifth
agenda point “Land Reforms” is a MUST, which is why the gradual and firm
implementation of Point 5 in the Agenda is very strategic and imperative.
6. If the above five agenda points are addressed as proposed, the agenda point 6,
“National Security and Economic Stability” will automatically emerge.
7. Finally, the seventh agenda point “Developing the Niger Delta Region” will also be
automatically contained especially as all the other points will affect the area also, in
addition to other special incentives that MUST be introduced to especially ensure that
Capacity and Capability is enhanced in the region in a special manner. Specifically,
the Education sector in the area MUST get special emphasis. Highly functional and
specialised skill acquisition facilities MUST be established. Relevant cottage
industries MUST be established to harvest the creative abilities resulting from the
other programmes, etc etc.

Again, it must be stressed that sectoral Ministries MUST NOT shoulder the implementation
of each of these points. A viable implementation strategy, which MUST consider each agenda
point to be implemented using multidisciplinary teams, is imperative.

If these points are implemented as proposed, it is highly likely that Nigeria will “leap-frog”
and “quickly” change in the next 10 years just like:
Dubai did, using heavy investment in real estate and infrastructure development;
Global Companies like Samsung, Kia and LG emerged in South Korea;
Infosys (a globally competitive IT company) was established in India;
What is presently happening in Lagos, Nigeria (with special reference to the
transformation of the Oshodi suburbs into an attractive commercial area, and the
infrastructural investments to mordernise Lekki).
For these to happen, there MUST be a vibrant an effective re-orientational tool deployed to
get all Nigerians to give the 20-2020 Vision a BIG YES! Just like when Americans resolved
that they CAN for Obama, Nigerians MUST realise and agree to the fact that this time WE
MUST! We must realise that we can ONLY achieve these lofty targets when we match these
policies with clear and measurable actions. In short, Nigeria MUST understand that WE all
MUST focus and deliberately apply SETI for our development in a deliberately revolutionary
manner!

Typical SETI application steps

The following are some typical steps for applying SETI for development, riding on the
concepts of attaining the Vision 20-2020 through the implementation of the 7-Point Agenda:
We must sincerely and clearly recognise and assess where we are. This would require
detailed studies of the physical, social and economic infrastructure to generate credible
data, documentation and records on which all plans would be based upon;
We must clearly quantify and spell the meanings of the vision 20-2020, with yearly
targets and milestones of where we want to be. This is what will be useful at the time
of monitoring and gauging the progress we make;
We MUST consider and recognise the Indigenous resources available (including
expertise) to implement the plans, so that we can clearly estimate the partnerships, the
“help” we may require from all our “friends”, and when that help should come;
We MUST conduct a detailed Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
(SWOT) analysis to identify our strengths and niches as we venture into this
“revolution”;
We MUST then develop a clear roadmap with dates and firmed targets so that roles
are clear, monitoring and evaluation can be clearly undertaken;
We MUST adopt the culture of using logical knowledge in the whole process of
implementation to avoid guesses, duplication, rivalry, and wastages;
We MUST develop and adopt the culture of tracking, monitoring and correcting
project implementation and performance to sustain all efforts;
We MUST agree and adopt the culture of maintaining institutional and operational
memory, to ensure continuity and to avoid diversions and wastages;
 Most importantly, we all MUST be guided by credibility spirit (disciplined,
transparent, sincere, committed, partnering, respect for each other and patriotic)!

Status of SETI in Nigeria

The knowledge and innovation infrastructure in Nigeria can fairly be classified as flamboyant,
currently composing of 104 Universities, 125 Polytechnics, about 100 Colleges of Education,
and over 200 Research Institutions and Centres, whose outputs have demonstrated that
Nigeria clearly expressed clear “presence” in technologies at all levels including:
Traditional technologies such as in cooking utensils, farming tools, housing
technologies, herbal medicines, clothing and apparels etc;
Low technologies including leather processing, shoe making, complex embroidery,
processed food items etc;
Intermediate technologies including oil expellers, cereal processing machinery,
cassava processing facilities etc; and
High technologies including being an active participant in Space programmes, IT
innovation and manufacturing facilities, Biotechnology capabilities, and high-level
materials technologies (nanotechnology).

Despite these expressions of presence:

Poverty is still high in the land (estimated at 70% of the population), translating to
nearly 100 million people;
Unemployment is still high especially among the energetic youth;
Farming techniques are still mainly primitive with subsistence small holding farming
dominating the agricultural sector;
Technical and entrepreneurial skills among Nigerians is still of low value, with most
active participants operating within the “appropriate technology” class, while most of
the functional technology based enterprises are being operated by foreign expertise.

But as always, the potential for dramatic change to attain the set vision clearly exists. Despite
all the above, attaining the Vision 20-2020 is still highly possible!

What is wrong?
Like many African countries, Nigeria has seen many visions, strategies, and huge
programmes in the past, many if not all, have failed to deliver the goals as set then.
A close look at the education system since independence may reveal that the focus has
remained on literacy education (mainly the ability to read, write, recite, get a qualification and
boast!). Hardly does the system encourage the culture of technological education, creativity,
innovation and entrepreneurship.
Additionally, it s a fact that the visibility of the African knowledge infrastructure in the World
is very hazy, with no African University among the top 300 highly rated Universities in the
World. Among the top 500 highly rated Universities in the World, only University of Cape
Town in South Africa is mentioned.

Also, just like most other Africa countries, Nigeria in the past has failed to meet very many
laudable programmes with clearly set goals of development. Such include “The Operation
Feed the Nation – OFN”, “The Green Revolution”, “The Housing for all by the year 2000”.
Much recently, “The Millennium Development Goals – MDGs” set by the United Nations in
1990 has received so much publicity, but clearly most African Countries cannot attain them.

On the other hand, Africa has demonstrated the trait of jumping to accept and own any global
development challenge that emerges with no reservations. For example, the current “Global
Economic Melt Down” may not be that bad for many African countries. Indeed it could be a
rare opportunity for the African economies to re-strategise. Indeed, in the heart of the
economic melt down, African countries have seen a surge in the flow of investment into many
countries especially by Western and Asian business community, mainly on energy resources,
solid minerals and on large projects designed to establish infrastructure. Interestingly, nearly
all the technologies and the know-how in these investments are foreign, and the associated
capital flights from Africa are alarming.

Additionally, on most of the large infrastructure projects being implemented in the member
countries, there is low technology transfer, low know-how transfer, very low meaningful
investment and use of local R&D and low value addition on raw materials, all leading to the
economies of Africa becoming highly dependent on foreign capacities which further leads to
the member nations breeding and maintaining fragile economies. These undesirable
manifestations seem to happen almost unnoticed, because Africa maintains:
 low strategic awareness on the core long-term merits of Foreign Direct Investment
(FDI), Company Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), etc;
weak leadership at all levels in terms of Political, Moral, Economic and Scientific
leaderships;
low partnership and synergy among relevant institutions within countries and among
countries on the pursuance of clearly identified common goals for sustainable
development;
low long term planning on development programmes;
weak technology transfer (TT) capabilities;
low skilled human assets to take advantage of opportunities;
no clear target/milestone setting for development programmes and projects; and most
importantly
the lack of structures to track & monitor development programmes based on clearly
set targets and goals.
The total effect of all these is that the continent’s Science does not effectively lead to the
evolution of Technologies required in solving problems, in the end leading to innovations that
are not globally competitive or sustainable. Member nations in Africa thus remain “total”
consumers of products and services from outside the continent at a very high price. This trend
MUST change!

The Way Forward

To reverse these worsening trends of Africa’s failure to recognise the unavoidable need to use
Science, Technology and Innovation for development, member countries MUST:
urgently reverse the thinking that the current “global economic meltdown” is a
problem, and see the opportunities embedded therein and deliberately take them;
Member States in Africa MUST review the processes of Governance and evolve a
viable linkage between Democracy, knowledge management, and industrial
development;
Government policies MUST deliberately focus on gradually converging Science,
Technology and Innovation to clearly evolve indigenous Science, Technology and
Innovation Systems that is active and efficient to unleash Africa’s opportunities to
develop.
Therefore, to transform the socio-economic landscape of this great Continent as it is currently,
and improve its global positive visibility, the following pointers are worthy of noting,
considering and implementing:
a) Strengthening the Education, Knowledge and Skill building institutions to performance
and ability levels capable of competing with the very best in the World;
b) Taking radical steps to deliberately and clearly link the outputs of the indigenous R&D
system to the needs of Industry and socio economic development;
c) Recognising and taking the clear economic and fortune opportunities existing in the
Continent based on the prevailing high population, existence of vast energy resources,
adding downstream value to the immense raw materials resources;
d) Improving the sincerity, committed planning and governance on Science Engineering,
Technology and Innovation for measurable development;
e) Improve the synergy between Government, Industry and the knowledge infrastructure.

Conclusion
In Conclusion, the dynamics of the development desires on the Federal Republic of Nigeria
may serve as a wake-up call to all member nations in Africa. In summary, the following
imperatives may be useful towards the implementation of the policies of the present
leadership in Nigeria as summarised in the 7-Point Agenda to attain the 20-2020 Vision, and
by implication may be adaptable by any nation on the continent for sustainable development:
a) The need to prepare a critical mass of talented technology based workforce. To achieve
this, it is proposed that Nigeria should urgently declare a state of emergency on the
Education, Knowledge and Skill building institutions at all levels;
b) There is the clear need to increase and strengthen Research and Development (R&D)
investment in Science and Technology. It is further emphasized that Nigeria must
resolve to urgently create a National Science Foundation (NSF) and deploy at least
1% of its GDP per year to it. A clear strategy to ensure that the private sector fully
participates MUST emerge;
c) Within the knowledge infrastructure, steps MUST be taken to evolve institutions that
present clear settings as premier “innovation places” to attract and develop the teeming
smart and innovative youths. It is proposed that some of the existing Universities,
Polytechnics and Research Institutions must metamorphose into globally
competitive innovative institutions and centres of excellence;
d) Smart steps MUST be taken to strengthen the innovation system infrastructure, by
facilitating the emergence of highly synergised innovation clusters of institutions
that have common mandate lines to share expertise, knowledge, facilities and
visibility;
e) National development policies MUST target selected industries of comparative
advantage for innovation, especially by focusing on the clearly abundant resources of
agriculture, oil & gas and solid minerals, and also on the key sectors of
transportation and health;
f) Most importantly, a deliberate strategy MUST be taken to develop and sustain a socio-
economic development monitoring mechanism, by evolving a central but high
capacity and capability functional quantitative development monitoring facility.
Such an office should be established directly in the office of the President to ensure
that the visibility and performance of the whole system is tracked at the centre;
g) The Vision 20-2020 aspiration MUST be broken down into “vision-lets” (vision 2010,
vision 2011, vision 2012, vision 2013, …… right to Vision 2020) with clear yearly
goals, targets and deliverables for the next 10 – 15 years. Such targets should be used
for assessing sectoral performances and periodic realignments. The graph below
illustrates this particular proposal. These yearly targets should guide all political
leadership, high-level professional appointments and institutional mandates setting. Any
non-performance can then be naturally measurable.