Agency to develop indigenous technologies for SDGs

The National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM) says it is considering developing  a database of indigenous technologies to address issues relating to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country. Prof. Okechukwu Ukwuoma, Director-General, NACETEM, disclosed this at a sensitisation workshop on survey and development of data on indigenous technologies aimed at addressing SGDs in Owerri. Okwuoma said that a database to this effect would make it easy for practitioners to know about knowledge available locally and how to maximise such to achieve the goals. He said that the agency had, previously beamed its searchlight on indigenous technologies by conducting research on bronze casting, pottery making, leather tanning, among others.

He said for Nigeria to compete in an era of globalisation, there was an urgent need to identify areas and build on them by the application of scientific methods. “In fact, it has been argued that indigenous knowledge and technologies present excellent possibilities in this regard,’’ he said. The NACETEM director-general said that similar workshops held in the past revealed the potential of indigenous technologies for the growth of the nation’s economy. Ukwuoma said they were in Imo to harness the avalanche of indigenous technologies present in the eastern parts of the country. “Harnessing  all that we have without leaving any part of the country unexplored, so as to take full advantage of the abundant indigenous technologies in Nigeria is considered highly critical,’’ he said.

Ukwuoma described indigenous knowledge as the unique knowledge confined to a particular culture or society. He said such knowledge is generated and transmitted by communities, over time, in an effort to cope with their own socio-economic environments. “As a people, we cannot afford to lose sight of knowledge that is indigenous to us, so as to remain relevant in the scheme of things globally,’’ he said. He said, ‘By knowing what was available, it would be easy to know how best to deploy them in achieving  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as economic growth, zero hunger and quality education, among others.” Dr Tosin Lievbare, Assistant Chief Research Officer of NACETEM, also made a presentation on, Survey and development of data on indigenous technologies that address the goals.

Lievbare said that Nigeria has diverse indigenous knowledge systems that had been transferred over a long period of time and are still in use in spite of the advent of modern knowledge systems. He mentioned these to include, agriculture and agricultural tools and practices, aluminum fabrication, drum making, agro-processing machineries, bronze artifacts, local fabric weaving, and iron smelting, among others.