The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has underscored the need for African nations to place Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) at the forefront of all development initiatives.
The Public Relations and Protocol Officer of NOTAP, Mr Raymond Onyenezi Ogbu, in a statement to commemorate the 2026 Africa Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights, noted that with the increasing importance of knowledge as the main engine of growth in the 21st century, the decision by African leaders to declare a Day for the commemoration of the role of Technology and Intellectual Property in achieving sustainable development on the African continent is a positive stride.
He, however, said there was an urgent need to put more action into the declaration for the development of the African continent.
“In today’s knowledge-based economy and global business environment, the absorption of new technology has become essential for companies to survive and maintain competitive positions. Technology is a key tool for enhancing national competitiveness for nation-states,” he said.
According to him, nations are no longer valued by population, geographical or mineral resources alone, but by the critical mass of knowledge in their citizenry.
It is therefore important to note that no nation can develop without the adequate development and deployment of science, technology and innovation.
He said NOTAP, as the agency saddled with the responsibility of promoting the inventive and innovative spirit of Nigerians, has, over the years, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, commemorated this Day to demonstrate to children the importance of IPR to nation-building.
“It is therefore imperative to deploy technology and IPR for the development of all sectors of the economy. Nigeria cannot make meaningful progress without encouraging innovators and inventors to protect their intellectual works and harness them for economic development.
“It is important to state that unless Nigeria develops the technical manpower to adapt and domesticate foreign technology for her daily operations, it may be difficult to address the challenges of unemployment, poverty, wealth creation and youth restiveness.
“NOTAP is working assiduously in collaboration with sister agencies to ensure accelerated technology development in the country,” he said.
He emphasised that the Nigerian Government, through the establishment of NOTAP under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, has demonstrated its determination to promote and acquire technology and to further encourage entrepreneurs, researchers and inventors to protect their intellectual property.
“Structures put in place include the establishment of 69 Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in selected Nigerian universities, polytechnics and research institutions across the country,” he said.
Other initiatives Ogbu said include the NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF), NOTAP-Industry Research Laboratory Upgrade (NIRLUP), the Technology Story Board (TSB) initiative, and the Project NOVA initiative. (a technology hub project aimed at developing, scaling and outsourcing the expertise of Nigerian youths across all sectors of the economy.
“These initiatives are aimed at ensuring that technologies are not only developed and domesticated in Nigeria but are also outsourced to other countries in need, thereby generating revenue, similar to the experiences in the developed countries,” he said.
Ogbu informed that, incidentally, the interactive component of this year’s commemoration of Africa Day with the inventor, innovators, and researchers will be held as a key aspect of the 2026 National Technology and Innovation Summit (NTIS 2.0) on 7-8 October, 2026, in Ikeja, Lagos.
“It is instructive to note that countries that have made a mark in science and technology development started with a single step. Against this backdrop, the quality of the prototypes exhibited by Nigerian youths, inventors, researchers and innovators at previous Africa Day celebrations has pointed in this direction,” he said.
He said that Nigeria will soon join the league of industrialised nations, stressing that what is required is the sustained support of this event through adequate budgetary allocation to NOTAP and the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology so that researchers and innovators can be encouraged to further develop their inventions.
The 13th of September every year is commemorated in all African states as Africa Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
This commemoration is in compliance with the resolution adopted by the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU), Council of Ministers and Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in July 1999.
Ogbu further explained that the commemoration of Africa Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights is aimed at arousing the latent creativity and inventive spirit of innovators, researchers, and entrepreneurs, a critical pathway to the rapid development of any nation.
He said the resolution was also intended to sensitise African countries, facilitate the domestication of technology, strengthen Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) systems, and reawaken their creative abilities to eradicate poverty and drive sustainable development.
“In recognition of the importance of this day to the technological and economic advancement of the country, the Nigerian government mandated the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion to commemorate the day.
Since receiving this mandate, Nigeria has joined other African nations in celebrating the event through exhibitions of scientific innovations by selected secondary and vocational schools across the Federal Capital Territory, as well as members of the Association of Nigerian Inventors (ANI) and the Association of Researchers and Inventors Network (ARIN),” he said.
He said the initiative is designed to explore and develop the huge intellectual potential of Nigerian youths, inventors/innovators and to demonstrate the value that Nigeria and other African nations place on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) as a panacea for national development.
He clarified that ‘intellectual property’ refers to any innovation, commercial, artistic, symbolic logo or design used for commercial purposes, noting that
Technology and intellectual property systems have long been recognised as critical factors in nation building and wealth creation.
“Ideas and knowledge are increasingly becoming veritable instruments in international trade relations, as codified in the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement under the World Trade Organisation (WTO), to which Nigeria has been a signatory since 1st January, 1995,” he said.
Mr Ogbu concluded that in today’s world, technology and IPR have taken on a global dimension in determining a nation’s position in shaping international power equations and influencing investment decisions by multinational corporations.
