The French Embassy in Nigeria on Friday donated a fabrication laboratory to the University of Lagos
The donation was to drive innovation among students and staff in the development of prototypes.
The digital fabrication laboratory, which is linked to other laboratories across the world, will help Unilag staff and students to transform ideas into objects.
The French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jerome Pasquier, who made the donation on behalf the French Government, described the donation as an excellent corporate project.
“This is a very interesting corporate project with Unilag. The is like a gift from the French Government.
“It is a computer research lab with printing machines that produce various types of objects.
“You concieve something on a computer and have it produced, or concieve a project in one country and have it printed in another country.
“This is very interesting and it is something that will normally be used to monitor the issue of climate change which is a concern for France and also for Nigeria,” he said.
According to the ambassador, the embassy would work with five universities in Nigeria in the project.
Prof. Folashade Ogunsola, Unilag’s Acting Vice-Chancellor, described the donation as a game changer.
“What the French Embassy has done is to give us the tools with which we can transform our ideas into things that we can touch so that when we dream something, we can produce it.
“This is where we will develop prototype of things that our people have invented.
“More importantly and exciting is that this laboratory is linked to other laboratories around the world so that when you are faced with difficulties, you can actually talk to others and they will work with you.
“It was initially started by the MIT in the U.S.; it is part of the large conglomerate of laboratories in universities, and we linked right now,” she said.