Nineteen Nigerian Innovators and inventors have each received patent certificate for their innovations.
The certificates were presented to them in Abuja the nation’s capital by the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion NOTAP.
Presenting the certificates to them, Nigeria’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Adeleke Mamora acknowledged the efforts of researchers in the speedy industrialisation of the country and its economic growth.
The Minister thereby called on innovation system managers to be conversant with Intellectual Property issues.
“Let me commend NOTAP for facilitating these certificates. I equally wish to emphasize that this is just the first step in reaping the economic benefit of your Inventions. The nation can only derive maximum benefit from your efforts if your patents translate into products and services for economic growth,” Dr Mamora said.
The Director General, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion NOTAP, Dr Dan-Azumi Ibrahim lament that Nigerian researchers do not consider the opportunities in their research, hence, they only race to publish their work making it open to the public domain.
Dr Ibrahim recalled that NOTAP in collaboration with WIPO in 2006 had established Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in some knowledge establishments in the country in order to strengthen the weak Intellectual Property culture and encourage IP awareness in Nigeria.
“The IPTTOs were established and equipped with Information Technology facilities to support researchers and to conduct searches on patents that are already in the public domain for exploitation and purposes of acquiring knowledge. The IPTTOs also provide them with guidance on the processes for patenting of inventions”. He said.
He revealed that NOTAP has currently established 62 functional Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices across Nigerian knowledge institutions with the intention of establishing more, adding that NOTAP in its quest to fast-track the processes of patenting an invention in Nigeria, went into partnership with the Patent and Design Registry, Commercial Law Department of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, an agency that has the responsibility of patenting inventions and innovations in Nigeria, where the Office assist in paying the patenting fee for Nigerian researchers, process and file their claims at no cost.
“I, therefore, challenge Nigerian researchers to take advantage of the opportunity offered by NOTAP to patent their inventions free of charge and enjoy the economic benefits accruing from licensing of their inventions.”
He thereby called on Nigerian researchers within the country and abroad to visit the NOTAP website to download and fill in their profiles in the database platform.
Dr Ibrahim further praised the Executive Order Number Five calling it a revolution seeing towards the prosperity of Nigeria’s economic growth.
“The executive Order 5 entails engaging Nigerian professionals in undertaking construction issues, engineering issues, any kind of contract where Nigerians have the capacity. The Executive Order 5 also encourages Nigerians to patronize Nigerians instead of foreign technical expatriates.”
He urged Nigerian professionals to fill in the agency’s database which is to be accessible by the various institutions in the country for the purpose of awarding contracts to deserving members.
PIAK
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