Matthew O. Ilori

Biogas energy use in Nigeria: current status, future prospects and policy implications

Industrial revolution brought coal, a fossil fuel, to the forefront of the global energy scene. This was later overtaken by another fossil fuel, crude oil; and natural gas is trying fast to take over the dominant role in the world energy supply mix. The increasing world-wide awareness and concern about the environmental impacts of fossil fuels coupled with the oil price shocks of the early 1970s and late 1980s, and likely future price hikes, have lent enormous weight to a switch to renewable energy sources. This paper therefore looks at biogas (renewable) energy use in Nigeria, a country which is fossil fuels rich and an oil exporting nation. In order to contain the uncertainty usually associated with structural transformation of the economy typical of a developing country like Nigeria, a three scenario analysis has been adopted to examine the future prospects of biogas in the country. While a generated energy from biogas would range between 5.0-171.0x1012 J in the period 2000-2030 under a moderate ambitious biogas technology programme, some constraints may hinder this realization. These include economic, technical and socio-cultural constraints. Recommendations to overcome these constraints and make biogas technology penetrate even more than already projected into the rural communities and poor urban households have been suggested. Part of the envisaged benefits of biogas use to the national economy includes the avoidable CO2 emissions. If biogas displaces kerosene, at least between 357-60,952 tons of CO2 per annum would be avoided.

Management of new product development in selected food companies in Nigeria

Abstract New product development is virtually established as the most viable tool for long-term corporate growth if properly managed. This study was therefore designed to evaluate the planning and management of new food product development in the Nigerian food industry. Data were collected from 10 food companies in southwestern Nigeria using a questionnaire and interview schedule. The results of the analysis showed that these companies invested between zero and 2.5% of their annual turnover in research and development (R&D), with four of them investing less than 0.5%. Four of the companies use all seven phases (idea generation, screening of ideas, concept development and testing, development of marketing strategy, business analysis, product development and test marketing) of the new product development process. Nine of the companies developed new products through a multidisciplinary team of professionals, and the head of the R&D department in most cases had direct access to top management. Most of the innovations were incremental in nature. The implication of these findings is that food companies need to adequately fund R&D. They also need to be more active in all phases of the product development process in view of the inter-relatedness and interdependence in the activities involved. Adequate technical and production capability support should also be provided so as to remain innovative.

Engineering design and economic evaluation of a family-sized biogas project in Nigeria

Abstract To woo householders into harnessing the cooking energy potential of biogas in order to solve the perennial cooking energy problems at household level in Nigeria, this paper carried out the engineering design requirement, and used the discounted cash flow micro-economic assessments to evaluate the 6.0 m 3 family-sized biogas project in Nigeria. The project has an initial investment cost of 41,088 Naira, annual expenditure of 5909 Naira and an annual benefit of 13,347 Naira. The NPV, IRR, B/C and payback period of financial analysis are 0.050 million Naira, 17.52%, 2.26 and 6.6 years respectively. This shows that the 6.0 m 3 family-sized biogas project using cattle dung as substrate in Nigeria has a good economic potential.

Developing a manufacturing-based economy in Nigeria through science and technology

Abstract The bedrock of manufacturing, and in fact globalisation of production and marketing, is science and technology (ST weak demand for manufactures due to declining purchasing power of the populace; high expenditure on spare parts, repairs/maintenance; legal and illegal influx of cheap imported goods (globalisation of trade); and political instability, especially during the military regimes. For the country to improve its manufacturing sector, evolve a manufacturing-based economy and be relevant in the globalisation of production and trade, it should pursue a combination of these ST technological licensing and transfer; encouragement of foreign direct investments; adoption of continuous improvements and innovation programmes; and technological knowledge initiation. This is only possible in a national innovation system with the following enabling environments: a well-funded education system; good and well-maintained physical infrastructures; favourable environment for RD and stable and favourable economic, legal and political conditions.

Technological Innovation Sources and Institutional Supports for Manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria

The study examined the technological innovation sources, the relevance of these sources as well as institutional supports and their significance to the innovativeness of small and medium manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) in Southwestern Nigeria. The data for the study were collected through questionnaire and interview schedule from a sample of 100 manufacturing SMEs. The results reveal that the key information sources for innovation among these companies are customers; suppliers of equipment and machinery; seminars, training and conferences; market research and business associations. None of the external inputs that the companies needed for internal learning and innovation come from government agencies. The results suggest the urgent need for enterprise-oriented technology transfer from public funded R&D institutions to link the science and technology system with small and medium enterprises production units. Similarly, the SMEs associations should be strengthened to provide opportunities for their members to continuously learn about new technology developments and opportunities to enhance the competitiveness of enterprises in the sector.

Organisational impact of information technology on the banking and insurance sector in Nigeria

Abstract The importance of information technology (IT) in the modern day business transaction cannot be over-emphasised. The impact assessment of the technology on any business is expedient so as to objectively determine its influence on a specific aspect of the organisation. This study therefore assessed the organisational impact of IT on some banks and insurance firms in Nigeria. Eight leading commercial banks and six highly rated insurance firms which have branches in Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, and two other important state capitals, were selected for this study. Data were obtained from both the customers and workers at the banks and insurance firms. The data were analysed using percentage and five-point Likert scale to objectively determine the local and global impacts of IT on the banks and insurance firms. The local impact criteria considered are: time savings, error rate reduction, enhanced management decision making, and improved service delivery. On the 5-point likert scale, there was positive impact on IT on the local criteria in the mean range of 1–3 at Lagos and Ibadan with Osogbo having a mean in the range of 3–5 which indicates otherwise. Also, the calculated mean of the IT impact on global criteria such as competitive advantage, high revenue generation, market segmentation and forecasting are in the range of 1–3 for all sampled cites. The study also revealed that there was positive impact of IT on both the induced local and global criteria. The induced local impact criteria identified are competitive advantage, market segmentation, high revenue generation, and forecasting while development of business niche, increased market share and network insecurity constituted the induced global impact criteria.

A STUDY ON THE NIGERIAN FOOD INDUSTRY AND THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES ON THE SMALL-SCALE FOOD ENTERPRISES

Industrial processing of foods assists the nation to maintain a steady supply of food products. This study assessed some factors influencing the growth of the Nigerian food industry with the view to identify some technological changes within the small-scale food enterprises and their impact in the last ten years. Information on the Nigerian food industry was compiled from a secondary source while a survey of small-scale food enterprises was conducted in SouthWest Nigeria using a structured questionnaire and interviews. Results showed that the number of food manufacturing companies (FMCs) increased over the years with the largest number of FMCs established in the 1980s. The range of products produced is still small, with several FMCs producing similar products. More than 50% of the FMCs in the country are located in the SouthWest, with Lagos State as the major host. About 91% of the FMCs are listed as private and 7.3% are publicly quoted. Indigenous entrepreneurs wholly own 56.9% of the FMCs. Percent local sourcing is high in the FMCs. Areas of technological changes include expanded capacity utilization, expansion of production lines and expanded market shares, which arose as a result of the active involvement of management in the production process, acquisition of new packaging systems, and participation of the work force in process improvement. The study identified the need to standardize locally fabricated equipment to facilitate ready production of spare parts. Recommendations were made on how to increase the financial base of the small-scale enterprises.

Nutritional evaluation of spent grains from sorghum malts and maize grit

Potential use of the high protein by-product of beer production from 77% sorghum malt and 23% maize grit was investigated. Red sorghum spent grains (RSSG) and white sorghum spent grains (WSSG) contained 23.4 and 19.3% crude protein (CP), 54 and 43% dietary fiber (NDF), 1.44 and 0.78% ash, 4.5 and 3.2% hexane extract and tannin content of 7.5 and 1.0 mg/g catechin equivalent respectively. Magnesium was the most abundant mineral in both RSSG and WSSG — 185 and 140 mg/kg, respectively. Calcium, zinc, iron and copper were generally low. Both samples contained cadmium 1.12 (WSSG), 1.19 (RSSG) and lead at 1.38 mg/kg. Lysine was the limiting amino acid (chemical score 0.55) in both samples. Other essential amino acids were adequate or surplus. Stearic acid was the predominant fatty acid with varying levels of lauric, myristic, palmitic, and oleic acids in both samples. Feed intake and weight gain were highest in rats fed 26.3% WSSG (contributing 50% of the diet protein) but protein efficiency ratio (PER) and net protein retention (NPR) were highest in diets where spent grains contributed just 25% of the diet protein. True digestibility of diets decreased as dietary fiber content increased such that animals on diets containing 100% spent grain protein (above 20% NDF) lost weight.

Nigeria's technology policy: is it adequate in the globalizing world?

Abstract This paper discusses the emergence of science and technology (S&T) policy. It also highlights the National S&T Policy of Nigeria, as well as its adequacy or otherwise in the globalizing world. It concludes that the national S&T output is inadequate and ascribes the inadequacy to defects in the formulation and implementation of the policy. It is also pointed out that some important sectors such as Science, Information Technology, Communications, and Space Science and Technology, which could create potential opportunities to leap-frog technologically, were left out of the Policy. However, these and other sectors have been included in the revised Policy which will soon be approved by the National Assembly.

Indigenous technological capability development in the brewing industry in Nigeria: An engineering economic assessment and policy implications

Abstract The substitution of sorghum for barley malt is a successful indigenous technology capability (ITC) development in the brewing industry in Nigeria. However, this ITC was accompanied by milling, mashing, and lautering problems. The milling problem was solved by adapting the existing barley malt cleaner to sorghum grain at no cost. The use of external enzymes and installation of a mash filter eliminated the mashing and lautering problems. However, the use of malted sorghum, with a simple modification of the existing line without the addition of external enzymes, could solve these problems at reduced cost. A brewery wishing to adopt this process should have a malting plant to guarantee the quality and steady supply of malt. Such a malting plant of 6000 tonnes annual capacity and operating at full capacity could generate additional internal rate of return (IRR) of 32.5%, which is greater than the existing bank interest rate (13%). The policy which emphasized the use of local raw material is very effec...