Ministry commends Firm for technology inflow

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation (FMSTI), Mr James Sule has commended the role of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), for its efforts in regulating the inflow of technology.

Sule gave the commendation on Wednesday when NOTAP Director-General, Dr. DanAzumi Ibrahim, led his management team to the ministry for a special briefing on the activities of the agency.

The permanent secretary lauded NOTAP for its regulatory role of protecting and preserving indigenous technologies through its intervention in registering and evaluating technology transfer agreements.

He said that the huge financial savings to the economy amounting to the tune of N140 billion which NOTAP achieved between the years 2012 to 2022, was highly commendable.

“I encouraged the agency not to rest on its oars so as to ensure that the nation’s economy is protected from capital flight,” Sule said.

He also applauded the local vendor policy instituted by NOTAP, which has helped to enhance the skills of young indigenous ICT experts, some of whom had developed software locally and have started exporting them to some African countries.

“There should also be synergy amongst the various agencies under the FMSTI.

“There is a need to work hard to fuel innovation for the betterment of the nation’s economy,” he said.

Earlier in his presentation, Ibrahim said NOTAP was established to regulate the inflow of foreign technology into the country and has saved about N140 billion that would have left the nation as capital flight between the years 2012 to 2022.

He added that the office had also instituted the local vendor policy, which was fully entrenched in the country and had enabled local players in the ICT sector in Nigeria to build capacity in software development.

Ibrahim stated that NOTAP had so far established 64 Intellectual Property Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in research and tertiary institutions across the nation.

He said that this was to promote the culture of patenting their Research and Development outputs.

Ibrahim explained that the office also assists inventors and innovators to patent their research efforts free of charge by filing and paying the fees at the Patent Registry, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment on their behalf.

He added: “These are one of the many ways we are ensuring that indigenous innovators and technologies thrive in the country.

“There are also the NOTAP-Industry partnerships which have led to the upgrading of five Laboratories in some research institutions and universities across the country.

“Then the development of the technology storyboard initiative which helps to enhance the culture of local diary development and science and technology amongst children.

“This project is done in collaboration with FrieslandCampina WAMCO,” he said.

“Another notable collaboration is that of NOTAP with some industry which birthed the NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF),” Ibrahim said.

He said that 23 Nigerians had so far benefitted from the NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) to build their capacity in research towards solving industrial problems.

The Director-General added that NOTAP was collaborating with the Bank of Industry to ensure the commercialisation of some selected research and development projects that would be beneficial to the Nigerian society.

NAN/Dominica Nwabufo