…As DG Showcases agency’s achievements at 2024 intellectual day
By Dele Ogbodo
The Director General/CEO, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, has said the solution to Nigeria’s development lies in technology and intellectual property rights.
Addressing the media on the commemoration of African Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) on Thursday at NOTAP’s Headquarters in Abuja, she said acknowledged that Federal Government has through NOTAP and the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, demonstrated its determination to promote indigenous technologies.
According to her, this is done through the encouragement of entrepreneurs, researchers and inventors in the protection of their intellectual property making seamless the process for the acquisition of foreign technology.
She added that the Ministry, NOTAP and its other agencies are working in collaboration with stakeholders to create relevant policies that motivate inventiveness to ensure rapid technological development of our country.
According to her, NOTAP as an agency has the added responsibility of promoting inventions and innovations of Nigerian researchers, stressing that the agency has not failed in pursuing the mandate especially in sensitizing the research community and the general public on the vital role of IPR in Nigeria’s technological development space.
While showcasing NOTAP’s achievements, she said, the agency has carried this out through: “The establishment of over 65 Intellectual Property and Technology Transfers Offices (IPTIOs) across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
“Processing of over one thousand (1,000) patent applications received and submitted to the Nigerian Patent and Design Registry.
“Granting of assistance to researchers at no cost in the acquisition of over 300 patent certificates from the Nigerian Patent and Design Registry Seventy (70) of these patent certificates have been commercialised in the Nigerian markets and five (5) in the international markets.
“Launching and distribution of publication on “Guidelines for Commercialization of R&D results in Nigeria.
“Identification and publishing of a compendium of viable R&D results from various research sectors in Nigeria.
“Sustained engagements with stakeholders in the National Innovation System (NIS) to facilitate the commercialization of viable R&D products.”
The DG, added that NOTAP has the mandate of developing market ready products and industry trained academia through NOTAP, Industry and Academia linkage project as NOTAP- Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) which has successfully witnessed the engagement of about twenty one (21) Fellows, viable products and generation of valuable Patents.
“To strengthen research and development infrastructure, NOTAP is also engaging the private sector to upgrade laboratories in various tertiary institutions across the country.” She said.
On the commemoration of the day, since assumption of duty, she said: “I wish to reaffirm our commitment to guiding the process of technology transfer and promotion of IPRs to shore up indigenous inventors and innovators in order to drive progress and harness the benefits of innovation and creativity for the development of Nigeria to build a greater future for us all.
“As part of activities to commemorate the Day and to buttress the spirit of the initiative, we will hold exhibitions and stakeholder engagements with technology and IPR stakeholders.
“To sustain the commemoration of this Day we have adopted the 2024 theme as: Leveraging Technology and IPRs to Drive the Renewed Hope Agenda.
As we celebrate this African Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights, the DG, said: “I enjoin all stakeholders in the STI ecosystem to reflect on the adopted theme to enable collaborations to foster Nigeria’s STI commercialization and National development; as I believe that no single agency can succeed without a deliberate and conscious collaboration to achieve synergetic results.”
While acknowledging the multi-disciplinary nature of IPR, Amadiobi advocated for more robust IP system which according to her will ensure the exploitation of the abundant research works in Nigeria’s academic and research community.
