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By Sunday Ani
The Director General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi has warned that companies that refuse to submit their technology transfer agreements to NOTAP for proper evaluation and registration would soon face stiff penalties and prosecution.
A statement by NOTAP’s Head of Public Relations and Protocol Unit, Raymond Onyenezi Ogbu, said Dr. Amadiobi handed down the warning when she led the top Management staff of NOTAP on a familiarisation visit to some Information and Communication Technology (ICT) companies in Lagos, recently.
She noted that NOTAP was established to regulate the inflow of foreign technology through the registration of technology transfer agreements, so as to promote the development of locally motivated technologies.
The DG further stated that while the Office was working assiduously to ensure that Nigerian companies were offered the best contractual terms in acquisition of foreign technologies, some companies were hiding under the non-registration of hardware to avert registration of their agreements because they had lumped up software and hardware together, thereby shortchanging the system.
She expressed the commitment of the Office to collaborate with companies that strictly comply with the NOTAP’s rules, and restated the preparedness of the office to ensure stiff punishment for errant ones.
“Available records have shown that greater percentage of companies in Nigeria operate on imported technologies, which run into millions of dollars without NOTAP’s registration as stipulated by law, thereby shortchanging the Nigerian economy.
“By law, it is mandatory that NOTAP should be involved during the technology negotiation stage to ensure that the Nigerian entrepreneur acquires appropriate technology in the best contractual terms, so as to enable rendition of services commensurate with the money expended on it,” she noted.
The new NOTAP boss said that in line with the renewed hope mantra of the current administration, no company would be allowed to continue to avoid registration of technology transfer agreements with NOTAP. She also stated that some operators lump the acquisition of foreign hardware with software, claiming that the technology cannot be registered since it is hardware.
She emphasised that such companies are doing great disservice to the nation and should desist from such practices forthwith.
In his address, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Computer Warehouse Group (CWG), Mr. Adewale Adeyipo, expressed delight in the energy and enthusiasm demonstrated by the DG within a few days of her appointment, assuring that the company was ready and willing to partner with NOTAP to ensure the development of the ICT ecosystem.
He said NOTAP’s mandate and activities were enormous and strategic to directly or indirectly generate over 2000 jobs annually within the ICT space. He added that for a nation to be globally competitive, it must holistically adopt one of the key elements of growth, which is ICT.
He said it is what the governments in the developed countries consider first while thinking of investment in digital penetration, and regretted that over the years, Nigeria has spent over $987.8 million on digital media subscription and downloads. He added that the sum could have been saved for Nigerian economic growth if adequate support for the local ICT operators had come from the government through policies.
Also, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Nigeria Plc, Mrs. Ola William, said NOTAP had done remarkably well in fast-tracking the development of the ICT sector.
She used the opportunity to debunk the rumour making the rounds that Microsoft was winding up to leave Nigeria, adding that the company is committed to sustainable growth of the ICT ecosystem in Nigeria.
