08/10/2025
SSIT HOSTS 3RD NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) redefine global innovation, experts at the 3rd National Conference of the School of Science and Industrial Technology (SSIT), Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba, have called for greater investment in scientific research and innovation to drive national development.
The conference, themed “Leveraging Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Scientific Innovation and National Development,” officially opened today under the leadership of the Dean SSIT, Dr. Akuagwu Nneka Agbanyim, and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Dr. Eric Ogbonnaya. It drew participants from academia, industry, and policy circles.
Declaring the event open, the Rector, Engr. Christopher Okoro Kalu, who served as Chief Host, challenged participants to move from theoretical research to practical innovation.
"We cannot continue to rely on the era of the white hairs, looking only at papers,” he said. “It is time to step out of our comfort zones and engage in innovations that can transform our society. We have written enough papers in this country; now is the time to implement them.”
He further announced that, moving forward, promotion to senior academic ranks would be tied to innovation outputs.
"Within the next five years, anyone aspiring to become a Chief Lecturer must have at least two patents, verifiable innovations with measurable impact,” he added.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Chizaram A. Ogbuji, Deputy Rector (Administration), spoke on “Indigenous Research and Its Relevance to Community Development.” He emphasized the need for home-grown research that promotes inclusion and unity.
“Indigenous research should not perpetuate partitioning or make people second-class citizens in their own communities,” he said.
In his presentation, Dr. Christopher C. Onyemenonu, Deputy Rector (Academics) and former Acting Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, urged participants to strengthen creativity and critical thinking, skills he described as “irreplaceable in an era of automation.
Justice Michael
For Elephant Radio & TV
