The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has reaffirmed its commitment to commercialising academic research findings through strategic partnerships, matchmaking initiatives, and funding opportunities aimed at boosting Nigeria’s revenue and accelerating industrial development.
The Director-General of NOTAP, Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, stated this on Monday while receiving the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, during a courtesy visit to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
The visit was aimed at strengthening collaboration between both organisations to promote indigenous innovation, technology transfer and intellectual property awareness.
Dr Amadiobi announced that NOTAP will host the National Technology and Innovation Summit at the Civic Centre, Lagos, on 7 and 8 October 2026.
She said the summit would bring together innovators, researchers, manufacturers, financial institutions, investors and the Bank of Industry to facilitate the commercialisation of research outputs.
According to her, the summit will provide a platform for researchers to connect with investors and industry stakeholders through strategic matchmaking, enabling innovative ideas and technologies developed in Nigerian institutions to attract funding, enter the marketplace and contribute to national economic growth.
The Director-General explained that the initiative aligns with NOTAP’s mandate to promote technology acquisition, encourage indigenous innovation and ensure that research findings are transformed into commercially viable products and services capable of creating jobs, enhancing competitiveness and increasing national revenue.
She emphasised that journalists have a crucial role in shaping public understanding of science, technology and innovation, noting that effective media coverage would accelerate Nigeria’s technological advancement.
Dr Amadiobi further explained that one of NOTAP’s core mandates is the domestication and adaptation of foreign technologies to meet Nigeria’s development needs. She said this requires building local expertise capable of understanding, adapting and improving imported technologies.
She lamented that Nigeria had, for many years, served as a dumping ground for foreign technologies due to inadequate local capacity. However, she noted that NOTAP’s Local Vendor Policy has significantly changed the narrative, particularly in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.
According to her, the policy requires Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to invest in local capacity development by training Nigerians, resulting in the emergence of indigenous software developers and ICT professionals making significant contributions both within and outside the country.
The NOTAP boss said the agency plans to replicate the successes recorded in the ICT sector across manufacturing, engineering and other critical sectors through technology transfer, skills development and increased local participation.
She also disclosed that NOTAP is establishing a Technology and Innovation Hub to provide practical demonstrations of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), making learning more interactive and accessible.
Dr Amadiobi added that the agency is partnering with leading technology companies, including Huawei, MTN and Airtel, to strengthen the capacity of its staff and improve Nigeria’s ability to evaluate imported technologies effectively.
On youth empowerment, she unveiled the National Outsourcing Value Acceleration (NOVA) Programme, designed to equip young Nigerians with industry-relevant skills through simulation-based training before exposing them to practical field experience in sectors such as maritime, engineering and manufacturing.
She said the programme would help bridge Nigeria’s skills gap while positioning young Nigerians for global employment opportunities.
The Director-General further revealed that several state governments, including Niger State, have expressed interest in partnering with NOTAP to establish similar innovation centres in their respective states.
Earlier, the chairman of the NUJ FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike, described NOTAP as a strategic institution at the forefront of Nigeria’s technological advancement, noting that its work in technology acquisition, technology transfer, intellectual property protection and the promotion of indigenous innovation is critical to the country’s economic growth.
“I believe the future of Nigeria depends on strong partnerships between institutions that inform, innovate and inspire. NOTAP stands at the very heart of Nigeria’s technological progress. Your work is not only important but strategic,” she said.
Comrade Ike disclosed that she had taken time to study the agency’s activities before the visit and was impressed by its achievements in transforming Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.
“You are helping to shape a Nigeria that does not merely consume ideas but creates them. As journalists, we recognise that technology and communication are inseparable. The media has a responsibility not only to report innovation but to explain it, amplify it and connect it with the people,” she stated.
She said the visit was aimed at establishing a mutually beneficial partnership between the NUJ FCT Council and NOTAP in the areas of public enlightenment, innovation advocacy, capacity building and national development.
According to her, the media can play a pivotal role in publicising NOTAP’s programmes, increasing public understanding of technology policies and promoting indigenous innovations.
Comrade Ike also proposed regular capacity-building programmes for journalists covering science, technology and innovation, saying such training would improve reporting on intellectual property, technology transfer, research commercialisation and innovation policies.
She further advocated joint public awareness campaigns on intellectual property rights, patents and technology transfer targeted at inventors, researchers, start-ups and technology developers.
