NMDC board to support sector’s growth

The newly inaugurated Board of Directors of the National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC) has promised to support all initiatives that would advance the growth and expansion of Research and Development activities in the Centre through sound and enduring policy formulation.
The Chairman of the Board, Chief Osifo Akpata made this known recently when the Board took a facility tour of NMDC’s laboratories on the occasion of their maiden visit.

Chief Akpata who was optimistic that the support and intervention of the Board in all areas of need would enhance the realization of the Centre’s mandate, also called for an enlightenment program aimed at creating awareness about the Centre’s products and services to the public.

According to him, “there is a disconnect between the Centre and the investors and there is need to remedy that through enlightenment program”.
The Board members had earlier on arrival met with the leadership of the three unions in the Centre and solicited their cooperation and support to the realization of the Centre’s mandate.
In a remark, the Director-General of NMDC, Prof. Ibrahim Madugu stated that as part of his administration’s re-engineering agenda for the Centre, plans were on for the training and re-training of staff on their jobs, in addition to upgrading the existing facilities.

He revealed that the Centre had expanded the scope of its activities to boost its revenue base, adding that establishment was currently in collaboration with a number of private and government agencies  on key areas of steel and metallurgy industry’
Prof. Madugu further hinted that the Centre was imparting positively on the economy through its support service to metallurgical and allied agencies, through which a number of jobs were being generated.
The director-general however identified lack of fund and shortage of manpower as the challenges hindering the realization of the Centre’s goals and objectives.