FIIRO to collaborate with Portugal to solve economic challenges

The Federal Institute for Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) in Lagos State is to collaborate with the Portuguese Government to provide solutions to hunger, poverty and unemployment in the country.

The FIIRO Director-General (D-G), Gloria Elemo, disclosed this in a statement obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

Elemo said this when Manuel Heitor, the Portuguese Minister of Science Technology and Higher Education, paid her a courtesy visit in her office.

Elemo said the Portuguese minister’s visit would herald the commencement of an international partnership in which science and technology would be applied to solve economic problems.

“We are aware of the enormous role your ministry can play in bringing Nigeria out of recession, hence, the invitation extended to you by the Nigerian Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, is timely.

“The invitation is aimed at achieving strategic economic development.

“From our achievements and activities which we have unveiled to you, I am sure you will be able to identify many areas in which you can partner with the institute,’’ the D-G said.

Heitor, in his response, said his visit was to identify projects that would work for his country and also to develop a work plan on areas of collaborations between his country and Nigeria.

He said his government would train Nigerian researchers and deploy Portuguese researchers to work with them.

“I urge you as an institute to identify possible areas of collaborations and specific projects or topics of common research such as nanotechnology, textiles, shoe production and a host of others.’’

The Portuguese minister proposed a joint Portugal/Nigeria Science Summit to be held later in the year, where both countries would display research products in which they had comparative advantage.