The government of Lagos state, Nigeria’s commercial capital, has declared it is promoting innovations in technology with its innovation hub located in the Surulere area of the state.
Tomi Davies, Head of Lagos State Innovation and Social Council, said the government is leaving no stone unturned in the promotion of indigenous innovations.
Speaking at today’s session at the ongoing Social Media Week Lagos 2013, he said Nigeria cannot totally rely on foreign innovations to solve problems that are peculiar to the nation.
The self-proclaimed “Grandfather of Technology in Nigeria” stressed the need for the government to put systems in place to enable innovation.
He also addressed the misconception of what innovation is all about. According to him, people often use innovation to describe entirely new concepts and ideas. He said this should not be the case.
“It is not about how old the technology is, it is all about how relevant you can make it,” Davies said.
Concerning the success of the government’s support for technology innovation, he said it is already bearing fruit, one of which being the technology developed in Yaba which uses text messages and scratch cards to fight against counterfeit drugs that have become ubiquitous across the federation.
He added several other similar innovative projects are underway, and the government is partnering with well meaning individuals, organisations and institutions, both in the public and private sectors, to bring these laudable innovations into fruition for the benefit of the citizens of Lagos state.
