Yemisi Izuora
The Federal Institute for Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Kenaf Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria and Crystal Entrepreneurship Centre, Akure.
The event had in attendance the new FIIRO board chairman Alhaji Ibrahim Dan’Azum Gwarzo and was scheduled for both organisations to partner with FIIRO.
FIIRO Director General, Prof. Gloria Elemo, extolled all present saying that the institute has considered and adopted strategic collaboration as an approach for effective partnership with relevant organisations that can make significant contribution to the realizing of its mandate the event.
According to her, “FIIRO has signed over 50 MOUs in the last five years with both private and government organisation such as NASCO, May & Baker among others” and that “Kenaf has contributed to the development of paper production in Nigeria”,
She stressed that with the MoUs in place, changing the face of industrialization in Nigeria would be inevitable and that the institute has in recent times strengthened its ties with the private sector in line with the Federal Government’s Public Private Partnership Initiative. The DG further explained that formalizing the collaboration was with the view to provide Technical Assistance Services for the processing of kenaf into different end products like pulp, paper,agro-sacks and non composites for non-metallic vehicle parts.
The FIIRO board chairman Alhaji Gwarzo congratulated the two associations saying thatit is a step in the right direction that deserves the necessary attention.
The Managing Director of Crystal Entrepreneurship Centre, Otunba Sola Olatunji commended the DG FIIRO and the board Chairman and was quick to add that FIIRO’s Research and Development are strategic for the eradication of poverty and solution to unemployment.