Technical capabilities is needed for developing Nations to engage effectively in the global economy and the level of technical and engineering skills available in a country is indicative of its measure of development.

As part of efforts to promote raw materials processing and utilization, the Raw Materials and Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has donated a locally fabricated hammer mill machine to a local spice processor in Imo State.

The Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Engr. (Prof) Peter Onwualu has announced a 15 percent drop in imported raw materials required for industrial production in the country.

Engr. (Prof) Peter Onwualu, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has said that the Council will collaborate with the Polymer Institute of Nigeria (PIN) to ensure development and full utilization of polymer in the country.

Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Alhassan Bako Zaku has stressed the need for a thorough harnessing of the naturally occurring sweetener (Thaumatin) as a viable alternative for imported sweeteners.

The Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Alhassan Bako Zaku has made a strong case for the strengthening of SME products, by way of appropriate branding and packaging, to enhance their competitiveness, both locally and internationally.

The Taraba State Government has pledged its commitment to boost the solid minerals potentials of the state noting that it has become imperative due to the quest for alternative sources of industrial raw materials.

As the nation joins other global economies in the quest for sustainable alternative sources of energy in the wake of current global meltdown, the Director General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Peter Onwualu has called for the development of Jatropha and Castor seeds in Nigeria as sources of bio-fuel and bio-diesel.

The Delta State Coordinating Office of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has organized a training workshop on Plantain/Banana processing and fish feed formulation from local raw materials for the NYSC 2009 Batch “A” corp members in Delta State.

The Director-General of RMRDC Prof. Peter A. Onwualu has called on stakeholders in the engineering sector to engage in capacity building for sustainable development.

The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has demonstrated its determination to promote the processing of agricultural and industrial raw materials across the country with the commissioning of four (4) melon shelling machines it fabricated for Women Co-operative Societies in Nasarawa State.

The Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Peter Onwualu has emphasized that the emergence of cluster industries across the country for the processing of the nation’s abundant mineral and agro-industrial raw material resources remains the surest way to the nation’s drive towards economic and industrial development.

The Honourable Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Alhassan Bako Zaku has called on the media to rise to the challenge of educating and enlightening the public on the imperatives of applying science and technology as a key determinant of Nigeria’s quest for economic and industrial development.

The Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Alhassan Bako Zaku, has promised government support to local sourcing of fruit juice concentrates.