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Director General/CEO of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu, has made case for introduction of advanced internet-enabled technology to all our rural areas. He said robots, drones e-mobility and emerging technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) could improve lives and living in rural areas across Nigeria.
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“A majority of our people still live in rural areas and through decentralized development, their lives can be enhanced right where they are so that there is no need for them to migrate to the cities,” Aliyu told delegates at Nigerian-Korean Business Summit in Seoul, South Korea.
Aliyu in his presentation on: ‘Advanced Technology for a New Nigerian Human Experience’, said drones could help to enhance logistics and healthcare; completely renewable energy mini-grids, and satellite connected educational networks are essential to provide uninterrupted power supply and the building skillsets for the 21st century economy.
Part of Aliyu’s goals at the summit was to leverage shared knowledge with international peers and explore opportunities for partnerships with private and government owned South Korean enterprises particularly those in the auto industry.
He told the audience that Nigeria has its own technology challenges like other developing economies. But Africa’s most populous country of some 220 million people is determined to explore opportunities and build strategic international partnerships to build its economy.
Rural areas still constitute home for nearly 55% of Nigerians and emerging technologies could offer a rare window for unprecedented human growth, said Aliyu even as he highlighted the agency’s massive investment in transportation technology through its promotion of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and EV charging stations as clean mobility is essential for the environment.
He said the NADDC has supported both local and multinational automotive companies to start producing EVs in Nigeria. As a result of that Hyundai Nigeria has started the assembly of the Hyundai Kona EV, Jet Systems Motors has deployed the Jet Systems Electric Van, and Max-e has developed an electric motorcycle that has been tested and proven in rural Nigeria.
According to him, the agency has also developed 100% Solar Powered EV Charging Stations as pilots to prove that you can power e-mobility completely off grid.
His words: “we put them up at three universities, Usman Dan Fodio, Sokoto, University of Lagos, and University of Nigeria, Nsukka. With the advanced capabilities in the Korean automotive industry, what can we do together in Nigeria, how do we work together to scale up the production of Nigeria relevant Electric Vehicles?
“The NADDC has built 18 Automotive Training Centres across Nigeria, where we can partner with potential Korean companies for training in EV Technology”.
He stated “A majority of our people still live in rural areas, and that through decentralized development their lives can be enhanced right where they are so that there is no need for them to migrate to the cities. Actually, I believe there is need to introduce super advanced internet enabled technology to all our rural areas, drones for logistics and healthcare, 100% renewable energy mini grids, satellite connected educational network.”
There are exciting opportunities to foster a Nigeria and Korea partnership whether in hardware or software subsectors, the NADDC boss stressed urging his audience to explore the new vista for the two nations to develop solutions that can be manufactured and deployed in Nigeria to lift millions into “abundance, peace and prosperity.”
IMAGE: Aliyu in Seoul speaking on: ‘Advanced Technology for a New Nigerian Human Experience’
