Domestication of space technology will boost IGR — Expert

An expert on space technology, Prof. Babatunde Rabiu, has called for the domestication of space technology in the country, saying that this will  boost Internally Generated Revenue, IGR. Rabiu, the Director, Centre for Atmospheric Research, National Space Research and Development Agency, said this in an interview with the NAN  in Abuja.

He said the domestication of satellite technology, if achieved in Nigeria, would help telecommunication industries to build their satellites within the country. According to him, this will also save the country the cost of manufacturing and launching of satellites abroad.

“There are some other spin-offs from space technology that the country could benefit from if it could be domesticated in the country. We talk of Global Positioning System, GPS, receivers and receivers from satellites such as DSTV ditches. Then, imagine the capital flight this will save the country and the tax that will go into government purses. This will add tremendous benefits to our nation. If we try it, we may come very close to, if not more than what we are getting from the oil at the moment,” he said

Rabiu said that Nigeria with one-quarter of the African population already had huge market for the applications from satellite technology. He noted that the country also had the required human capacity for the domestication of the technology.

“Nigerian scientists and engineers are performing brilliantly all over the world and those of us within the country can also compete with our colleagues abroad. Let the government give the challenge by providing the infrastructure required to build and launch satellites and all other accessories within the country,” he said.

On the importance of space technology to economic development, Rabiu said:  “Transaction of business is more or less cashless and every transaction has application of space technology in it. When you use your ATM when you transfer funds online, all these will have to go through space technology. Also,  when you talk of social security,  that is, the security of environment, security of life,  now a days, we look up to space technology.”

“We have drones flying everywhere, taking pictures and mapping the environment. We also need to understand the way the environment develops, the way  infrastructure develops so as to be able to plan for the nation. Ordinarily, without development in space technology, it will be very difficult to talk of development in other sectors of the economy,” he said.