From Yakubu Wuyep, Jos
The Plateau State Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Cletus Shurkuk has disclosed that the ministry embarked on three days traing on Science, Technology and innovation festival towards harnessing the potential of knowledge drive for sustainable economic growth.
Speaking during the maiden edition of the State workshop with a commitment to sustain it as an annual event.
He said the festival was designed to identify and promote local innovations across the state.
According to him, the essence of the festival is to provide a platform for innovators to showcase their work, while also creating opportunities for government support in scaling up their innovations.
“This is the first edition, and we are going to continue with it as an annual event,” he said.
He explained that innovations also showcased the festival cut across various fields, including agriculture, biotechnology, engineering, and others.
“What you have seen here is just the tip of the iceberg. While the programme was ongoing, many people who saw what happened during the opening ceremony expressed interest in participating. Unfortunately, the time available was too short to accommodate everyone,” he added.
Dr. Shurkuk noted that the festival would serve as a platform for partnerships and collaboration, as well as a tool for shaping policies that would impact citizens directly and help scale local innovations to national and international levels.
He further assured that the initiative would not end with the event, stressing that it is a continuous process aimed at monitoring and supporting innovators throughout the year.
“For all the innovators who won prizes, especially the overall winner, we will continue to follow up with them throughout the year to monitor their progress.
“Wherever they encounter challenges, we will provide guidance and support,” he said.
The commissioner also revealed plans to visit all 17 local government areas of the state to identify innovators who were unable to participate in the first edition.
He added that the festival would help the ministry build a comprehensive database of innovations across Plateau State.
According to him, the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology also expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the event, noting that the minister personally attended as guest speaker.
“We will continue collaborating with the Federal Ministry to ensure that these innovations do not remain within Plateau State alone but gain wider national and international recognition,” he said.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Peter Lamba, described the event—PlastiFest, the Plateau State Science, Technology and Innovation Festival—as a platform for identifying and promoting local innovations.
He said the theme of the festival, “Reimagining Plateau State: Driving Innovation and Technology for a Smarter and Sustainable Plateau State,” reflects the government’s commitment to harnessing indigenous knowledge and local content.
“We did not come here to showcase foreign technologies. Rather, we came to identify local knowledge, ideas, innovations, and scientific solutions developed by our people,” he said.
Mr. Lamba explained that the festival aims to document and promote indigenous technologies that had previously not been officially recognized, adding that they would now be captured in the ministry’s database for further development.
He said the initiative would also contribute to the development of science, technology, and innovation policies in the state.
He further noted that the government, in collaboration with federal institutions, would continue to support innovators, while also rewarding outstanding participants with stipends as encouragement.