By Auwal Ahmad
Gombe
The federal Ministry of Science and Technology has urged local textile and dye artisans to employ indigenous and innovative technologies in making their products to ensure they are standard for both local and foreign patronage.
Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs. Amina Shamaki ,made the call in Gombe yesterday at a two-day sensitisation workshop on local raw materials sourcing and handling of textile, dyeing and finishing chemicals for local attire manufacturers, said it was very important for the manufacturers to learn innovative ideas that would encourage improvement of their products.
The event was organised by the ministry in conjunction with the Nigeria Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST), National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) and Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC).
Amina Shamaki ,who was represented by the Director of Chemical Technology of the ministry, Mr Akinyemi Oyefeso, disclosed that the artisans must understand that their safety remained key and also to teach them ways to avoid hazards attached to their works.
She stressed that products from the local market could be sought after and also be source of foreign exchange if they keyed into technological initiatives.
Shamaki lamented that the industry which had so many opportunities had not been exploited to the fullest.
She stressed that one of the primary focus of the STI’s intervention was to modernise the process of technology and widen the utilisation, application of dyes to other areas that have not been explored locally.
“The products may not be perfect but could get better through the application of new technologies and innovations. We should not forget that the emerging economies Brazil, Indian, Korea, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Malaysia started the same way and today through application of STI their products have dominated the entire world, ” she said.
