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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) through its subsidiary, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) has launched a state-of-the-art fabrication laboratory (FabLab) in Abuja.
Abdullahi formally commissioned the FabLab in Abuja
Registered under the Fab Foundation – a global organization that facilitates and supports the growth of international FabLab network as well as development of regional capacity-building organization, the new resource offers opportunity for young Nigerian innovators to create and manage hardware solutions.
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A FabLab is a small-scale digital fabrication workshop equipped with an array of flexible computer-controlled tools that cover several different length scales and various materials, with the aim to make almost anything. It will enable the center to prototype research and development (R&D) ideas and produce technology-enabled products.
Unveiled by the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, who described the new facility as part of the agency’s commitment to carry out “President Muhammadu Buhari directives to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami to transform Nigeria into a leading global digital economy through innovation-driven entrepreneurship (IDE).”
Inside the Abuja digital fabrication workshop – FabLab
Located inside the NCAIR in Wuye, Abuja, the digital fabrication workshop is equipped with an array of flexible computer-controlled tools that cover several different length scales and various materials designed to allow the fabricators to create almost anything conceivable.
“The digital fabrication laboratory will always be opened for Nigerian innovators and will serve as a space for digital creators, makers and inventors to bring their ideas to fruition. NITDA is encouraging digital innovators and makers from the tech ecosystem to come and use this facility to drive their ideas from inception to impact,” said Abdullahi during the commissioning ceremony.
Some of the machines available in the lab include CNC router, laser cutter, milling machine, 3D printers, embroidery machine, and lab oven.
