In a groundbreaking move, the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has inaugurated its state-of-the-art Advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) Laboratory in Abuja. This cutting-edge facility is poised to revolutionize agriculture, security, and revenue generation in Nigeria.
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At the launch, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Mr. Uche Nnaji, emphasized the significance of the UAV laboratory, stating that it will play a crucial role in identifying financial leaks and enhancing national revenue. “It can beef up our revenue by monitoring the way ships come into this country, when they’re coming, they’re off the ignition and 80% of ships are coming here. They don’t pay, they don’t even pay bunker fees. Because we don’t have satellites, we can’t monitor it. But with the satellites, we can see all these things, and even in agriculture, it can be used,” he explained.
The Director General of NASRDA, Dr. Matthew Adepoju, highlighted the agency’s commitment to developing indigenous capacity in space science, technology, and innovation. “One of the core mandates of NASRDA is to develop indigenous capacity, not only in satellites, not only in rocketry, but in astronomy and all spaces of space, science, and technology, which we are doing. We will also check revenue leakages, and then we identify new lines of revenue,” he said.
Dr. Adepoju noted that the agency has made significant strides in capacity building, making space knowledge accessible, and generating revenue for the country through its technologies.
The Director of the Advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Center, Dr. Chichebe Akachukwu, explained that many of the laboratory materials are locally sourced. He noted that some Unmanned Vehicles, like the Pocopter, will be used for surveillance, entertainment, and precision farming. “The idea is to do the things by ourselves. Because when you do something by yourself, when it is bad or damaged, you fix it. Precision agriculture makes you spend less energy, and you have multiple or optimal harvest. That’s for the quadcopter. But the other one that is fixed wing can be used for long-distance missions, you can do pipeline monitoring and surveillance activities,” he said.
The Managing Director of Proforce Galaxies Limited, Ade Ogundeyin, stressed the importance of public-private partnerships for Nigeria’s space program to thrive and ensure global competitiveness.
The event also featured the launch of NASRDA’s publication; Space Digest and The International Journal on Space Technology and Earth Sciences.
