Dr. David Oyedepo, Chancellor, Covenant University, Otta, Nigeria, has stressed the need to enhance the value of Africa produce and Nigeria as a whole in order not to run into a loss.
He made this call during an interview at the 3rd African Engineering Deans Council (AEDC) Summit tagged: ‘Engineering for Socio-Economic Development of Africa’ held at African Leadership Development Center Covenant University on 25th July 2017.
“Without enhancing the value of your produce, you are functioning at a loss. You have cocoa you carry it somewhere else for processing, they bring it back to you, you buy it at three times the money as if you didn’t have the source for it.
What we are trying to do is to give value to our effort through engineering and the technology by processing what we produce, to the point that we can sell and consume also ourselves. Engineering is the core of any meaningful development,” he stated.
Earlier in his keynote address, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Ex-President of Federal Republic of Nigeria advocated that to stem the way politics is having adverse effect on the development and growth of the nation, political engineering can be used to solve political problems.
He lamented that the society is experiencing serious deficits due to lack of will to come together and seek ways of working out solutions to the problems without any political undertones.
Obasanjo, a former chairman of African Union (AU), argued that the interest of the African continent should be put at heart to take it from backwardness, adding that engineering development is good for Africa because it would save the continent from suffering the drawback of political issues.
“If Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology are instruments of development and progress for others, and ours cannot be different, our cooperation and collaboration should have come earlier no matter what we are doing at national levels,” he stressed.
In his address, Professor Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), tasked engineering educators to take a closer look at how engineering students are prepared for the ‘real world’.
Danbatta, who was represented by Dr. Engr. Fidelis Onah, Director, Technical Standard and Network Integrity (NCC) said the engineering sector is the bedrock of many other sectors, adding that it plays a prominent role in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a nation.
Prof Adagbonyin Obiazi, President, Council of AEDC, underline the ultimate goal of the summit was to bridge the gap between the industry and the academia, stressing that such a collaboration would be required if any meaningful change would be recorded in all sectors of the economy. He noted that to achieve the aspirations as expressed in the African Union Agenda for 2063, Africa must use its resources in driving its development.
The African Engineering Deans Council, AEDC is a council whose membership is open to all Deans/Provosts/Rectors of Faculties, Colleges and Schools of Engineering and Technology across the continent of Africa. It was inaugurated on 9th September, 2013 at the University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Engr Prof Rahamon Ade Bello.
It was founded through the instrumentality of the African Engineering Education Association, AEEA. The AEEA, headed by Engr Prof Funso A. Falade worked hard to see the establishment of AEDC.
For two days the 3rd African Engineering Deans Council(AEDC) 2017 summit had in attendance stakeholders drawn from the academia, African Union (AU), UNESCO, African Engineering Education Association (AEEA), Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), students, among others