Dr. Bashir Gwandu, the Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, visited the Czech Republic Ambassador to Nigeria, Zdeněk Krejčí, to explore business collaboration and gather information about the Delta2 Project. During his courtesy call to the Czech ambassador in Abuja on August 18, 2023, Dr. Gwandu expressed his interest in understanding the reasons behind the project’s failure, which was intended to benefit Nigeria’s technology companies, entrepreneurs, and economic development.
The Delta 2 project was initially designed as a bilateral collaboration between the Nigerian government (represented by NASENI) and the Czech Republic government (represented by Technology Agency of Czech Republic, TA CR). The project aimed to facilitate the development of infrastructure, manufacturing, and innovation in Nigeria, ultimately leading to the production of Made-in-Nigeria technologies and products.
Dr. Gwandu conveyed NASENI’s readiness, under the new administration, to collaborate with the Czech government in advancing Nigeria’s industrialization agenda and attracting investments to promote technology domestication through strategic partnerships. He emphasized NASENI’s mission, which is to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported goods and services, particularly those that can be produced locally, thereby stimulating economic growth and creating job opportunities.
He expressed a desire for government-to-government collaborations on new initiatives, aiming for mutually beneficial relationships. NASENI seeks to partner with the Czech government and companies, inviting them to invest in Nigeria and engage in technology domestication and industrialization efforts. The agency is actively working on initiatives to accelerate Nigeria’s industrialization and welcomes partnerships with Czech and other international companies interested in establishing factories and industrial bases within Nigeria.
The Czech Ambassador expressed appreciation to Dr. Gwandu and his NASENI team for their visit and their interest in understanding why the Delta2 Project did not materialize. He conveyed his country’s readiness to collaborate with NASENI on scientific cooperation and eagerly anticipates NASENI’s new initiatives.
The Czech Republic has grant and technology agencies dedicated to scientific cooperation, along with an academy of sciences, all of which could be beneficial to NASENI. The ambassador also mentioned that several Czech companies and universities are willing to collaborate with NASENI, particularly in fields like tropical agriculture, and they are eager to work together to ensure the success of NASENI’s new initiatives
