New innovations at FIIRO and youth employment

Considered within the context of the persisting economic challenges bedeviling the country, agriculture has been singled out as the best way forward to enhance food and nutrition security in addition to job creation, especially for Nigerian youth. But to maximize the enormous potentials inherent in the fertile field of agriculture here in the country, a holistic approach beyond increased production to processing, preservation, packaging and marketing has become an imperative. To succeed, the critical role that the deployment and application of modern technology plays cannot be undermined. That is where an appraisal of the recent innovations made at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi ( FIIRO) comes in.

Over the years the Institute’s research projects have had a connecting chord and relevance as solution -providers to the technological and economic challenges of the country. Basically, they are initiated in-house with regards to FIIRO’s matching mandate to come up through market research and inquiries into how to upgrade, the people’s needs.Good enough, the results are documented and are made available to interested individuals.And those that have high economic potentials, or commercial prospects are transferred to the willing entrepreneurs.

This is usually done for the ready-for-commercialization projects to the public through scheduled training courses, technical assistance services, acquisition of machinery and equipment as well as licencing. It is interesting to note that such has been carried out through training courses in the areas of cassava flour production, mechanized production of fufu, cassava chips, pellets production, palm wine bottling and preservation, edible mushroom production and the dry milling of grains and legumes.

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Not left out are the instant pounded yam flour production, fruit juice extraction, zoborodo drink production and essential oils extraction from lemon grass, eucalyptus and citronella leaves. Beneficial also is that of cassava -wheat composite flour production, that of mechanized production of the popular gari, lafun, and of course,starch from cassava roots. Also noteworthy is that of the production of glucose syrup also from cassava starch,from which we also get that of cassava chips and pellets.indeed, the Institute has become popular for the soy-ogi production ( a weaning food for infants as substitute for imported baby food). There is also the production of potable alcohol from palm wine and other fermentable worts. All these are of immense contributions to food and nutrition security,are they not? Yes, they are and significantly so for employment generation.

In the light of the above-stated it is a commendable initiative to learn that new innovations have come into being at FIIRO especially in recent years. These include the development of equipment for processing local raw materials such as cassava, using the Mobile Cassava Processing Innovation ( MOCAPI ) unit, another is the cassava compact truck, a ginger root slicer and dryer, small scale flour mills, a reactor for making gums and adhesives from cassava starch. In addition to all of these is the production of a variety of value – added food products from local grains. These include maize, soy-ogi, high – nutrient biscuits, breakfast cereals and infant formulas. There is the instant pounded yam flour, and cassava-based macaroni noodles.

Going forward, the focus is on utilizing indigenous fibres like kenaf,banana, and plantain for agro-sack production. The patriotic aim is to promote small and medium scale enterprises, SMEs as well as utilizing Nigeria’s agricultural resources for industrialization. It is in this wise that MOCAPI is being used to upgrade gari production at the cottage level, more so for the rural women involved in its processing.

To walk the talk on employment generation FIIRO’s Project Development and Design Division is actively engaged in developing the prototypes for the processing equipment. What all these boil down to is to use the products of the creative ingenuity of our researchers, technologists and engineers to add the much-needed value to the quality of life of the average Nigerian. But how do we achieve this?

The answer is anchored on the federal government ensuring that our research institutions are always well – funded as it happens in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, India, China, Brazil and Cuba. The researchers must be well remunerated and provided with all the working tools, equipment and of course, the enabling environment for them to carry out their duties without political intimidation or bureaucracy bottleneck. Furthermore, there has to be more engagement with all the state governments so that they can key into the opportunities available to train our youth and encouraging them to get employed.

As it operates in several other countries where the products of such innovations as listed are taken seriously, there has to be Public Private Partnerships (PPP), especially for the mass production of these valuable machines and equipment. And to underscore the significance of the innovations, acting as catalysts to oil the engine of Nigeria s economic growth there should be mass and sustainable public enlightenment for the job-seeking youths to know what is available for them in this regard. That is why the mass media must be carried along to bridge the information gap which currently exists between the products at the research institutes and the job-seeking young Nigerians.