Chief Executive Officer, General Electric Africa, Farid Fezoua, has said the localisation of innovation will boost technology advancement in Nigeria and Africa at large.
Fezoua made this known on Thursday evening during the celebration of the company’s 120 years of operation in Africa.He said that technology advancement would lead to the development of the continent, saying that Nigeria needed to be part of the development.
“Innovation and technology are fundamental for Africa to be able to compete in a global framework.
“Localisation is also important as innovation needs to be tailored to the specificities of local needs. We need to develop home-grown solutions for Africa,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria is one of the most important cities for General Electric Africa (GE Africa), hence, the establishment of the GE Lagos Garage.
He said that training programmes like the GE Lagos Garage, which was aimed at Nigerian entrepreneurs, helped support local innovation in the country.
Fezoua said that GE was leading efforts to drive the adoption of 3rd Dimensional (3D) Printing in Nigeria through its Lagos Garage, a hub for advanced manufacturing-based innovation, strategy development, idea generation and collaboration.
He said the Garage offered year-round series of skills training programmes focused on building the next generation of Nigerian entrepreneurs.Fezoua said till date, over 400 entrepreneurs had graduated from the GE Lagos Garage programme.
He said they were trained to use the latest advanced manufacturing technologies; 3D printers, CNC mills, and laser cutters as well as in business development.
Speaking at the event, Lagos State Governor, MrBabajideSanwo-Olu, said GE was providing support that would enable Lagos leverage on the emerging potential of the 24-hour economy of Lagos mega city and a location of first choice for investors.
Represented by the Secretary to State Government, MrsFolasadeJaji, Sanwo-Olu said that GE had continued to develop cutting edge technology and innovation.
He said such innovation and technology would provide effective and efficient solutions to challenges, particularly in the areas of power, health, rail transportation, oil & gas, among others.
According to him, through its activities, GE has supported economic growth in Africa within a period spanning over 120 years.
“The company has also been a key partner in progress in Nigeria where it has operated for over four decades.
“The GE Lagos Garage initiative has empowered young people through training and capacity building in areas of business development and manufacturing-based technology enterprise, among other skills.
“The business founded by the GE Lagos Garage alumni is a testament of this initiative and the contributions of the company to the growth and development of our economy,’’ he said.
GE is a digital industrial company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive.
