NOTAP key to Nigeria’s technology growth, says FG

The Federal Government has declared that Nigeria’s quest for technological advancement rests heavily on the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), describing the agency as the engine room for technology transfer, innovation and intellectual property protection.

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Mukhtar Mohammed, made the declaration on Wednesday during a visit to NOTAP headquarters in Abuja, where he pledged stronger government backing to reposition the agency.

He said NOTAP occupies a strategic place in Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, noting that the government depends on the agency to acquire new technologies, maintain a national inventory of technologies and protect local innovations through patents and intellectual property rights.

“We rely heavily on this agency to acquire new technologies, keep an inventory of technologies in the country and ensure our innovators are protected so they are not cheated,” Mohammed said.

He added that the agency remains critical to the commercialisation of research findings by linking universities and research institutes with industries in need of practical solutions.

The Permanent Secretary called for closer collaboration between NOTAP and major sectors of the economy, including manufacturing, oil and gas, agriculture, health, solid minerals, environment, and the marine and blue economy.

According to him, industries should regularly present their technological challenges to NOTAP, which would coordinate research efforts, attract funding and connect researchers with real-life industrial problems.

“If we get this right, industries themselves will begin to fund research because such research will solve their challenges,” he said.

Earlier, Director-General of NOTAP, Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, appealed to the Permanent Secretary to facilitate the passage of the proposed NOTAP Act to strengthen the agency’s enforcement powers.

She also sought government intervention to compel operators in the oil and gas and banking sectors to register their technology transfer agreements with NOTAP.

Responding, Mohammed assured the agency of the ministry’s full support, promising to engage relevant government institutions, including the Ministry of Interior and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), to improve compliance and boost the agency’s revenue generation.