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By Sunday Ani
The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has called on Nigerian researchers to concentrate on innovative and market-driven researches that have the capacity to expedite national development.
The call was made yesterday in Lagos by the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NOTAP, Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi at a one-day patentees’ forum
Speaking at the programme organized by NOTAP in collaboration with Hansy Slems Global Resources Limited, Dr. Amadiobi said that Nigerian researchers and innovators are very key to the economic development of the country if they could engage more on market-driven research rather than conventional one.
She the office realised that there is a weak intellectual property (IP) system in the country’s knowledge institutions, emphasising that as a country desirous of becoming a global player in the IP ecosystem, the situation was unacceptable.
According to the DG, in order to change the trajectory and launch the country into the world IP limelight, NOTAP in 2006, in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) initiated the establishment of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in the Nigerian knowledge institutions.
“This was aimed at creating IP awareness and ensuring that researches carried out in our knowledge institutions are not just for academic and career progression, but to transform Research and Development (R&D) into goods and services,” she said.
She noted that prior to NOTAP’s intervention in creating IP awareness in Nigerian universities and research establishments, there was poor utilisation of R&D results emanating from the country’s knowledge institutions due to insufficient knowledge of its importance.
She stated that NOTAP’s intervention was yielding unquantifiable results as patents have started coming from their research undertakings.
She added that the agency had assisted over 340 Nigerians in patenting their inventions free of charge. “This is, indeed, the reason for this gathering to further x-ray the steps the Nigerian researchers need to take after securing their patents,” she said.
The DG equally encouraged the patentees to think beyond the patent since securing it was just the beginning of the journey. She noted that the real challenge lies in transforming the patent into viable products and services for the benefit of humanity.
She expressed delight with the hosting of the patentees’ forum in Lagos, having successfully held similar events in other zones of the country.
She thanked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian Patent Registry, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and Bank of Industry (BOI) for their invaluable contributions towards the success of the programme since inception.
In her paper presentation titled, “After Patent, What Next,” the Director of Technology Acquisition and Research Coordination department, Mrs. Caroline Anie-Osuagwu said reiterated NOTAP’s readiness and commitment to ensuring the growth of IP in Nigeria, while calling for more support from both the government and the private sector.
She said the growth of the nation’s economy depends largely on knowledge as emphasis has shifted from resource based economy to knowledge based economy.
She added: “For us to achieve the desired economic blueprint and the renewed hope agenda of the present administration, more attention should be focused on critical research. Patentees should interact passively and exchange ideas, challenges and progresses made to spur others to action.”
