Month: September 2023

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Nigeria can earn N10trn annually through knowledge-based economy – Expert

Dr Mustapha Popoola, Executive Director/Global Impact Lead of Research for Impact and Knowledge Economy for Sustainable Development (RIKESD), says Nigeria can earn more than N10 trillion annually through a knowledge-based economy.

Popoola said this at the inauguration of the organisation on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that the nation’s economy could be boosted by attracting Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI) through research funding into the country.

Popoola said that there was a need for government and private organisations, to invest in capacity building to enhance the development of knowledge- based economy

He said that there was no way to solve the nation’s economic problem without productivity.

”Until we have those things that we are producing either in knowledge-based or elsewhere.

”Once that happens across board it is not about categorization, everybody can sit down, you can see many innovations coming from various communities, the moment you have those little contributions, that is how to build the economy.”

According to him, what we are trying to do is to ensure that we harness all of that.

”In essence we are looking at a captivating knowledge-based economy that can contribute nothing less than N10 trillion to the economy per annum to our national income.

”The national budget today is about N20 trillion. We don’t know what the budget of the new government will be, that is without the knowledge-based economy.

”If we look at the digital economy and innovation alone it is very huge; assuming we now expand the whole knowledge economy, not only digital.

“We are talking about research in agriculture, in space, in the automotive industry, green economy, circular economy,

”We now aggregate that we are confident that N10 trillion naira will be got legally in Nigeria with the contribution of everybody in Nigeria in their little way, ” he said.

He said that was the way the firm believed the economy should be disaggregated.

”That is why we are now coming up with this initiative to partner with government, industry, academia and funder.

”We want the funder to be interested in Nigeria, why they are running away is because when they fund they are not impactful,”he said.

The Finland Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvänäinen harped on the need to make innovation a sustainable development

“Finland is a country of innovation; Finland is constantly ranked as one of the most innovative countries in Europe.

“So we know and fully appreciate what today is about making innovation in our sustainable development,” she said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

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Resonac Partners with Matmerize to Pioneer 6G Technology Advancement using Innovative AI Software

ATLANTA, Sept. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a significant collaboration, Matmerize, Inc., a materials AI innovator, and Resonac Corporation have formed a strategic partnership aimed at revolutionizing the landscape of 6G technology. Building on the strong collaborative foundation, Resonac will leverage the power of Matmerize’s PolymRize™ AI software technology to accelerate the development of exceptional high-performance neat and composite materials for 6G technology and beyond.

In January 2023, Resonac Corporation announced plans to develop new semiconductor materials for 6G, the next-generation telecommunication system standard following 5G. With 6G set to be 100 times faster than 5G, new semiconductor materials are needed to substantially reduce the transmission loss associated with the increased communication speed. To meet this requirement, Resonac will identify optimal materials with the required characteristics through computational and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods in a collaborative venture with Matmerize, Inc. Where manual testing using traditional techniques would demand three months to assess a single materials combination, Matmerize’s AI software, PolymRize™, reduces the time required to a single day and can evaluate up to 90 combinations within the same three-month span. The result promises to be a fusion of materials engineering and artificial intelligence, poised to redefine the development of 6G technology.

PolymRize™ harnesses Matmerize’s proprietary data or client-specific data to construct predictive models. Once built, these models rapidly predict the properties of novel, yet-to-be-synthesized polymers, composites, and formulations, complete with their associated uncertainties. The software employs automated and generative design tools to recommend ideal candidates that meet property requirements for subsequent rounds of physical experimentation. PolymRize™ thus accelerates the journey towards target materials, drastically reducing both time and costs. Moreover, it introduces a framework for data management and organization, and has emerged as a dependable digital aide for chemists and process engineers.

In a pilot initiative, Resonac evaluated Matmerize’s capabilities. Predictive models were constructed using PolymRize™ and 3rd party software for key material properties relevant to 6G technology. Properties included bandgap, dielectric constant, refractive index, glass transition temperature, and coefficient of linear expansion. The performance of PolymRizeTM and third-party models were assessed by making property predictions for identical unseen test cases. PolymRizeTM predictions consistently out-performed third-party models in speed and accuracy (see figure showing Performance of models).

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

Resonac PR: Performance models comparison

“Collaborating with Resonac on the development of 6G technology is a remarkable opportunity for Matmerize,” said Rampi Ramprasad, Co-Founder and CEO of Matmerize. “Aligned with Resonac’s vision to revolutionize next-generation technologies and powered by Matmerize’s commitment to advance AI algorithms, architectures, and virtual materials design capabilities, we are poised to usher in a new era of accelerated intelligent materials design”.

For more information on the innovative PolymRizeTM platform please visit: https://www.matmerize.com/polymrize

For Resonac’s announcement of development of new semiconductor materials for 6G
https://www.resonac.com/news/2023/03/13/2391.html

About Matmerize:

Matmerize, a recent spin-out from the Georgia Institute of Technology, is at the forefront of pioneering solutions that bridge the gap between AI and materials engineering. Matmerize’s PolymRizeTM platform utilizes virtual screening and AI algorithms to identify the most optimal materials, enabling technologists to focus their experimental efforts on the most promising options, thus significantly accelerating the materials engineering process. PolymRizeTM represents a paradigm shift in industry, propelling clients ahead of the competition and driving innovation at an unprecedented pace.

About Resonac:
The Resonac Group is a new company established as a result of the integration of the Showa Denko Group and the Showa Denko Materials Group (former Hitachi Chemical Group) in January 2023. The Group’s annual sales of semiconductor and electronic materials amount to about 400 billion yen, accounting for about 30% of the Group’s annual net sales. The Group especially has global top share of semiconductor materials for packaging process. The integration of the two companies has enabled the Resonac Group to design functions of materials as well as to develop them in-house, going all the way back to raw materials. The new trade name “RESONAC” was created as a combination of two English words, namely, the word of “RESONATE” and “C” as the first letter of CHEMISTRY. The Resonac Group will make the most of its co-creative platform, and accelerate technological innovation with semiconductor manufacturers, material manufacturers, and equipment manufacturers inside and outside Japan.

For details, please refer to our website: Resonac Holdings Corporation: https://www.resonac.com/

Contact: 
Matmerize, Inc.
https://www.matmerize.com
E: [email protected]
Y: Watch Matmerize Videos on YouTube
L: Follow our LinkedIn Page

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8917638

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Government rewards athletes for their achievements

Namibian athletes who excelled at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, 2023 Special Olympics Summer Games, and the World Para Athletics Championships were rewarded for their hard work on Wednesday.

The Namibia Sport Commission, under the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service, has provided more than N.dollars 1 million to reward athletes who have performed exceptionally well in international competitions, including the Commonwealth Games, Special Olympics Summer Games, World Para Athletics Championships and the African Beach Games.

During the media conference in the capital, Namibia Sport Commission Chief Administrator, Freddy Mwiya stated that the implementation of the reward policy is to motivate athletes to work harder towards achieving their goals.

“The waiting period was a challenge, but today we celebrate the ministry’s achievement in providing a significant reward for the athletes,” he said.

Mwiya stated that athletes must perform well and reach the podium to be rewarded for their efforts.

“We look forward to the 2024 African Games as the purpose of the game is solidarity for those sport codes that are limited in numbers. The NSC will do all it can to ensure the reward policy is respected as approved by Cabinet in 2018,” Mwiya said.

The NSC chief administrator also said that Namibia is thus far the third country in the Southern African Development Community, African Union Sport Council Region 5 that has an approved reward policy alongside South Africa and Botswana.

Athletes and coaches rewarded for their achievements at the 2022 Commonwealth Games are para-athlete Ananias Shikongo and his guide Even Tjiuiju; Olympic silver medallist Christine Mboma; marathon runner Helalia Johannes, and cyclist Alex Miller.

Their coaches Letu Hamholo, Henk Botha, Robert Kaxuxwena and Hans du Toit respectively, were also rewarded. Athletes who won bronze at those games received N.dollars 40 000, while their coaches got N.dollars 20 000 each.

For winning at the World Para Athletics Championships, athletes received N.dollars 80 000 each for a silver medal, while their coach Hamholo walked away with N.dollars 30 000 per silver medal.

The silver medals at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships were won by Shikongo and guide Tjiuiju, Lahja Ishitile and guide Sem Shimanda, and Johannes Nambala.

At the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games, Namibian athletes won gold in cycling, silver in athletics and bronze in 3×3 basketball.

Fimanekeni Hamutenya won two silver medals in 800 metres and 1500m, which amounts to N.dollars 30 000 per medal, while the coach walked away with N.dollars 15 000.

Namibian cyclist Rodney Stewe won a gold medal and was rewarded with N.dolllars 40 000 and his coach Werner Jeffrey got N.dollars 20 000, while the 3×3 basketball team was rewarded with N.dollars 80 000 and their coach received N.dollars 60 000.

The 2023 African Beach Volleyball team received N.dollars 100 000 for their achievements.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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Sports ministry hosts indigenous games at Oshikoto

The Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Services (MSYNS) in the Oshikoto Region is hosting indigenous games, which kicked off at Oniipa on Tuesday.

The traditional games such as Owela, Dota, Odule and eduva form part of the ministry’s annnual activities for the region, which will end on 22 September.

According to the Chief Sport Officer for the Oshikoto and Otjozondjupa Regions in the ministry, Hendrick Mapele, the aim is to promote community sport participation and create awareness of the importance of the indigenous sports games as a means to address social ills among communities.

Mapele, in a telephone interview with Nampa on Tuesday, said that through the games, the youth will learn to solve problems, enhance thinking capacity and safeguard their wellness.

He said the ministry needs to promote their indigenous games that are not recognised elsewhere.

“We need to recognise our forefathers’ games so they sensitise the community and be realised by the world,” said Mapele.

The games are being held at Olukonda, Onayena, Onyaanya, Nehale Lyampingana, Omuntele, Okankolo, Eengodi, Guinas, Tsumeb and Omuthiya.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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CoW identifies seven houses as apartheid heritage sites

The City of Windhoek (CoW) Council has approved the identification of seven houses in the Khomasdal and Katutura residential areas that were built in 1960 as heritage sites from the apartheid era.

The ordinary council meeting held on 31 August 2023 resolved that the nomination and conservation of seven houses that are more than 50 years old be declared as heritage sites telling the social, political and educational icons’ stories of the apartheid era in the 1960s.

According to the meeting minutes issued on Tuesday by CoW, the council said while the city centre has monuments and statues, there are no official heritage resources in Katutura or Khomasdal.

“Therefore, the houses that will be selected based on the significance of their first occupants, should be transformed as the apartheid-era cultural precinct by developing a trail around the townships of Herero; Damara; Wambo; Donkerhoek; Gemengde; and Khomasdal.”

During apartheid, the South African government implemented a policy of forced removals, which resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and the disruption of entire communities. The aim of this policy was to create separate racial and ethnic enclaves, with whites occupying the most desirable areas of the city, and people of colour confined to the periphery.

This legacy of segregation and exclusion persists in many cities in southern Africa, including Windhoek.

“The main goal of this project is to transform the apartheid-era legacy of the Katutura and Khomasdal townships into vibrant hubs offering employment creation opportunities, as well as experiences for people to immerse themselves in Namibian culture and art,” Council indicates.

It noted that the houses will be utilised as historical icon museums, showcasing the people of a specific area, through cultural performances, traditional food, traditional chores, and arts and crafts, including accommodation providing homestay experiences for visitors to stay with local people.

The council further noted that similar projects have been successfully accomplished in other southern African cities, such as Johannesburg, which nominated and preserved the late Nelson Mandela family home in Soweto as a national heritage institution.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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Court orders Amupanda to disclose financial status in government lawsuit

The Windhoek High Court has ordered former Windhoek Mayor Job Amupanda to fully disclose his financial status in his ongoing lawsuit against the government.

Amupanda is suing the government over the veterinary cordon fence, also known as the red line. He wants the court to declare that the erection of the veterinary cordon fence has not been carried out in terms of any law and that it is unconstitutional.

He has since lodged a counter application to stop the high court from ordering him to pay the defendant’s legal fees, should he be unsuccessful in his redline challenge.

According to Amupanda, the lawsuit is of public importance, underpinned by social justice and not for personal or political gain. He further argues that a protective costs order will ensure that the parties litigate on equal footing. Amupanda has indicated that he anticipates the costs of this action to run into millions of dollars, adding that he has limited financial resources and as such, will not be able to pay the defendant’s legal costs if the matter dismissed with costs.

Judge Shafimana Ueitele on Tuesday found that Amupanda did not satisfy all the requirements for his request, in that he did not fully disclose his financial situation. He has been ordered to submit his amended documents on 12 September 2023. A status hearing has been scheduled for 26 September 2023.

“Based on the financial situation presented by Mr Amupanda, the court is not in the position to arrive at a conclusion as to whether or not it is just and fair for the court to grant a protective costs order in his favour, and what conditions must be imposed if indeed the protective costs order is granted,”Ueitele remarked.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency