Nigeria saves N79b from technology transfer initiative in five years

• Tanzania to tap from NOTAP’s regulatory functions, seeks improved relationship
Nigeria saved over N79 billion from various technology transfer initiatives introduced to boost the economy in the last five years.

The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), which disclosed this, said the funds would have left Nigeria as capital flights from the science and technology sector of the economy.

NOTAP’s Director-General, Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, who disclosed this at the weekend, while hosting the High Commissioner of the United Republic of Tanzania to Nigeria, Dr. Alfred Benson Bana, in Abuja, said the saves were made from 2015 to 2019.

He said the Nigerian government established NOTAP in 1979 to regulate the inflow of foreign technology and also promote locally motivated technologies.

Ibrahim said NOTAP has also developed numerous programmes and projects towards national development, one of which is the establishment of the Intellectual Property Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in universities, polytechnics and research institutes.

The concept, according to him was developed in partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in 2006 to enlighten the research communities on the need to protect their intellectual property (IP), harness their competences and assist them in patenting their research and development results and inventions free of charge.

Earlier, the Tanzania High Commissioner, who lauded the technology transfer and promotion initiatives of the NOTAP, said his nation has not done a lot in terms of promoting Tanzania-Nigeria relationship and is interested in promoting intra-African relationships and linkages in different fields of Science, Technology and Agriculture.

He noted that NOTAPs technology transfer strategies ensure that a local component is developed to benefit the community, stressing that in most African nations, legislation tends to follow agreements but said that in Nigeria, NOTAP is firm in regulating technology transfer agreements, which has brought immense benefits to Nigerians.