By Hillary Asemota
The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) had said the celebration of the African Technology and Intellectual Property Day usually held in the second week of September had to shelved due to the headwind of the delta variant of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Dr. DanAzumi Ibrahim, said because secondary schools’ children are usually the major exhibitors the office decided to shelve the exhibition and prepare adequately for 2022 commemoration.
He stated that in a knowledge based economy and global business environment, absorption of new technologies had become a veritable component for companies to survive through maintaining their competitive positions in the market place.
“Nations are no longer valued in terms of their population, geographical landmass or mineral resources but on the organic mass of knowledge in its citizenry.” He said.
Ibrahim, stressed that unless Nigeria develops the technical manpower to attract and domesticate foreign technology for our daily operations, it may be difficult for the country to meet up with the challenges of unemployment, poverty, wealth creation and youth restiveness.
He said NOTAP was working seriously in collaboration with other stakeholders to ensure rapid technological development of the nation and will continue to do that because the development of the nation rests on all Nigerians.
The commemoration of the day he added is usually in compliance with the resolution made by the then Organization of African Unity (OAU) now African Union (AU) Council of Ministers and Assembly of Heads of States and Government at Addis Ababa-Ethiopia in July, 1999 to celebrate the day across the continent.
Ibrahim said that in realization of the importance of Intellectual Property (IP) Protection to national development, the Nigerian government joined other African countries in celebrating the day.
According to him, the event was to arouse the latent creativity and inventive spirit of young inventor and innovators as IP is one of the ways through which rapid development of a nation can be achieved.
He added that it was also to further sensitize and facilitate the domestication of technology and development of intellectual property right (IPRs) system in African and reawaken the creative ability of the people in the continent to eradicate poverty and drive sustainable development.
He stated that no nation on earth can grow without adequate development and deployment of science, technology and innovation. NOTAP as an agency saddled with the responsibility of promoting the inventive and innovative spirit of Nigerians has over the years, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (FMSTI), commemorated this day to demonstrate to our children and youths the importance of IPR to nation building.
He reiterated that technology and intellectual property system have long been recognized to be among the foremost important factors in nation building and wealth creation. “Ideas and knowledge are increasingly becoming veritable instruments in international trade relations as codified in the trade related aspect of intellectual property (TRIP) under the world trade Organization (WTO), agreements to which Nigeria is a signatory”.
He further said that NOTAP had in the past celebrated the day through technology exhibitions by secondary and vocational schools within and around FCT, young inventors and innovators as well as the Association of Nigerian Inventors (ANI).
He said that young Nigerians have demonstrated high intellect and commitment to the development of National Innovation System (NIS) through their products.