President Muhammadu Buhari has called on African leaders to tailor their educational system and academic curricular towards Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), for a drive to full industrialization by the year 2030.

In his National Statement today, November 25, in Niamey, the capital of Niger Republic, at the AU Summit  on Industrialisation and Economic Diversification in Africa, the President emphasised that STEM is the ”short way” to produce the next generation of managers of an industrialised Africa not dependent on expatriates.

He advised leaders in the continent to solve the problem of generating cheap and clean energy, saying: ”it is no secret that we cannot industrialize the continent, if we do not solve the problem of generating cheap and clean energy.

”Your Excellencies, energy generation and distribution is an enabler for industrialization. Africa is richly endowed with multiple sources of energy generation. We are richly endowed with Hydro-Carbons, Coal, Natural Gas, Solar Energy, and Hydro- Energy.

”Yet we are lacking in the capacity to produce clean and cheap electricity to power our production, manufacturing sectors.

”I hope this Summit will afford us the opportunity to explore the possibilities of collaboration in pooling resources on a continental level to address the vexing problem of Energy generation and distribution on the continent.

”I say this because, it is no secret that we cannot industrialize the continent, if we do not solve the problem of generating cheap and clean energy.

”Your Excellencies, the African Continent is blessed with a large Youth population that can address our labour shortages. Therefore, we should tap this human resource potential that abound in the continent by providing our youths with qualitative and fit for purpose education that recognizes the labour market demands.

”In this regard, we must rejig our educational system and academic curricula to gravitate towards Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This is the short way we can produce the next generation of managers for the industrial complex we envisage, one that will not be dependent on expatriates.”

President Buhari also told the AU summit that the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement will give impetus to the continent’s quest for an industrial revolution.

He expressed the belief that the outcome of the Summit would launch the African continent on the path to poverty eradication, food security and technological advancement, issues not far from the goals set out in the AU Agenda 2063 and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He commended the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), for the mileage they have achieved through inclusive and sustainable industrial development plans for developing countries, providing the framework for implementing decisions of the UN and supporting the AU in several initiatives for growth and sustainable development.

He noted that these collaborative efforts have the capacity to ensure an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa.

The Nigerian leader told African leaders that industrialization and diversification of economies remain the keys and engine to unlock economic growth and build a prosperous continent.

”They are the solution to the socio- economic challenges that have bedevilled Africa, particularly those worsened by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia- Ukraine war, as well as the effects of Climate Change, Terrorism and Banditry.

”Chairperson, let me call on all African leaders, our Development Partners and the Organized Private Sector to team up and fashion a collaboration that will ultimately lead Africa to achieve full industrialization by the year 2030.

”We can do this by simply taking advantage of our rich endowments in natural resources.  Nigeria is committed to advancing the accelerated implementation of the African Union Programme for Infrastructure Development, as a vehicle to deliver industrialization.”

According to President Buhari, Nigeria has continued to diversify its economy, shifting from the traditional oil-based economy to a multi-sectoral economy.

He said the country is investing heavily in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises supporting small business and start-ups in innovation and Hi-Tech as well as IT.

On health issues, the President acknowledged that one of the lessons learnt from the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa as well as Nigeria was the lack of preparedness to respond to such outbreaks and shocks.

He, however, expressed delight that in the wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Nigeria along with five other African Countries were selected as vaccine hubs for the local production of mRNA Vaccines by the World Health Organisation, and to receive the technology needed to produce Vaccines.

He said Nigeria is exploring bilateral, multilateral and other opportunities to acquire the necessary technology needed to create a centre of excellence for Vaccine manufacturing and distribution in the country.

“As the mRNA technology permits science to shift attention to yet unknown disease threats, we see this as an opportunity to address diseases that have plagued our continent, especially sub-Saharan Africa and the third world countries.

“We see this as an opportunity to find lasting solutions to diseases such as Ebola, Malaria, Lassa Fever and other endemic tropical diseases through the manufacture of affordable Vaccines and therapeutics.”

President Buhari restated his call on partners to consider working with Nigeria on the entire value chain of vaccine technology development in the continent.

The Nigerian leader used the occasion to welcome the G20  Debt Treatment and the Implementation of IMF Special Drawing Rights in favour of African Countries, calling for the effective implementation of all agreed measures and proposed initiatives to address Africa’s financial needs.

“Africa needs more Foreign Direct Investments in Science, Technology and Innovation to drive Industrialization on the Continent not forgetting our long-standing need for better Tenors of Trade with developing countries.”

Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina; Spokesperson for the Department of State Security Service (DSS), Dr. Peter Afunanya and Media Aide to Justice Minister, Dr. Gwandu, have bagged different awards at this year’s  ‘Security and Emergency Management Awards’ (SAEMA) and Spokespersons Communication Awards’ (SCA).

Femi Adesina, who chaired the annual ‘Security and Emergency Management Awards’ (SAEMA); and Spokespersons Communication Awards’ (SCA) at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja was surprised when he was called out to receive the award on Strategic Communication as a Distinguish Fellow of SCA.
Others who were also honoured at the awards ceremony include Femi Babafemi of NDLEA as the Spokesperson of the Year;  Dr. Umar Gwandu of Justice Ministry for Public Affairs;  Dr. Peter Afunanya of the Department of State Services (DSS), for Crisis Communication; Lt. Col. Ishaya Aliyu for Gallantry; Air Comdr Edward Gabkwet for Crisis Management, Ismail Omipidan for Media Relations, ACP Daniel Amah as the Security Officer of the Year, Mal. Ibrahim Salim Umar of Daily Trust as Humanitarian Journalist of the Year among others.
The institutional award recipients included the Kaduna NIPR Chapter for Event Management; Lagos NIPR Chapter for Best Chapter of the Year; Nigeria Police Public Relations School for Knowledge Hub; NITDA for Social Media; NIMC, for Corporate Reputation Management; EFCC for Cybercrime Prevention, NSCDC for Emergency Management, DIA for Intelligence and Safety and NCoS for Community Service among others.
In a keynote address, President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Mallam Mukhtar Sirajo, decried the worsening insecurity in the country, even as he highlighted the importance of strategic communication as a panacea for mitigating all kinds of socio-ethnic tensions.
Sirajo recalled how their Institute recently deployed strategic communication as a tool for enhancing national integration in the contemporary Nigerian State, which he said is divided.
The NIPR boss, observed that their ‘Citizens Summit on National Peace, Security and Integration’, which was held across the six geo-political zones some few months ago, brought Nigerians from different works of life to harness their diversity for the collective good of all.
The NIPR boss, observed that their ‘Citizens Summit on National Peace, Security and Integration’, which was held across the six geo-political zones some few months ago, brought Nigerians from different works of life to harness their diversity for the collective good of all.
“What the SAEMA and SCA convener, Mal. Yushau Shuaib of PRNigeria is doing by annually organizing these auspicious events, is part of the strategic communication needed to re-set Nigeria,” said Sirajo.
In his remark, Femi Adesina lauded Malam Yakub Shuaib for consistently providing the general public with authoritative and factual information on security-related issues and matters.
“PRNigeria is my go-to on insurgency and banditry reports. It is one news medium which many people do not doubt its reportage on security issues.”

The presidential spokesman lamented that majority of Nigerians prefer negative reports about setbacks suffered by military and security agencies against terrorists, bandits and other criminals.
“You that spread the good news about the success story of our troops become the butt of their jokes and their enemy.”
The Director of Defence Information, Major General Jimmy Akpor commended the PRNigeria for hosting the annual awards on security and communication.
“In the military, we trust the credibility and the independent editorial of PRNigeria as it reports activities in the sectors with fairness, accuracy and facts that also protect our national security and interest.”

This was even as Shuaib, the Publisher of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, said that the SAEMA has so much become a household name among security agencies, stakeholders and experts “that we received 145 entries this year, out of which we had to work round the clock to come up with two finalists for each of the categories.
“Let me however at this point make it known that all the finalists are thoroughly deserving of not only the nomination but also the awards. It was therefore a lot of work, via a transparent process, before our team of unbiased experts and professionals could select the eventual winners who will go home with the award plaques.
“Like every year, he noted that, some winners of their last year SAEMA and SCA events also conquered Africa and the world.
“Three of our last year winners did not only win awards at the Africa Public Relations Association (APRA) ceremony in Tanzania but they also emerged finalists at the Golden World Award of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) scheduled to take place in Japan where the book “101 Fake News on EndSARS” emerged a winner.
“At the Digital Communication Awards (DCA) in Germany, NITDA was also shortlisted among the finalists with another award-winning book “Digital Innovation for Economic Prosperity.” All these came a year after IMPR was declared the most creative PR Agency in the world (2020).”
The 2nd SAEMA and SCA events were hosted in collaboration with the Centre for Crisis Communication, CCC, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, the International Emergency Management Society, TIEMS, and The Media Today, TMT.