A break down of the amount showed that each park is estimated to cost about N5.0 billion to establish. The Federal Government has already invested about N500 million to energise the take-off of the programme.

The Science Parks establishment programme is seen as a major strategy to reposition the Science and Innovation system to propel the Nigerian economy on the track of the year 2020 Vision.

The Minister of Science and Technology, Mrs Grace Ekpiwhre  in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary from the Ministry, Mr. Abdulganiyu Aminu, said that the Science Park Programme would address the loose ends in the outputs, relevance and linkage to national needs of the formal National Science, Technology and Innovation Infrastructure.

According to her, the successful implementation of the programme would be critical to the realisation of the administration’s 7-Point Agenda and the industrialisation vision of Nigeria.

“The Science Parks shall be operated on the basis of a private institution autonomous of public resource. Each of the proposed Zonal Park under this programme shall be operated as a registered Limited liability Company.

“The Federal government is committed to ensure that conducive environment prevails to facilitate technology transfer, quality product development, injection of deletion

“Programmes on imported technologies and consumable products, all aimed at strengthening local industry,” she said.

She added that, “Each park is estimated to cost about N5.0 billion to establish. The Federal Government has already invested about N500 million to energise the take-off of the programme.

“The programme is envisaged to be funded by the Federal Government, state governments, private sector and development support from relevant international agencies.”

The recent admission of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology to the full membership of the World Technopolis Association (WTA) is seen as a decisive step to the realisation of the objective of the National Park Programme.