NOTAP establishes 62 IPTTOS, partners AISA, DTCA for Africa’s devt

The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) said it has established 62 Intellectual Property Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) to boost emergence of patents from Nigerian researchers.

Director-General, NOTAP, Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, disclosed this in Abuja, yesterday, when he received a delegation from the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA), led by the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA).

Ibrahim said 65 per cent of certificates released by the patent registry, in recent times, came through NOTAP’s intervention in assisting researchers file and patent their inventions and innovations free of charge.

He informed the delegation that the office has also established the NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) programme to ensure development of critical manpower through PhD programmes.

Earlier, leader of the delegation and Director-General, DTCA Rabiu Dagari, said the two top research fellows from AISA are in NOTAP to seek collaboration on science, technology and innovation development.

He said the visit holds much promise for rapid development of South Africa, Nigeria and the continent when a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is put in place.

Research Director, AISA, Dr. Thokozani Simelane, said the institute was established 51 years ago and has been in the forefront of research and training on African affairs and how to make the continent great through contributions in knowledge.

He said AISA wants to share ideas with Nigeria through collaboration with NOTAP to ensure technological advancement of the continent.

He added that the MOU being proposed by AISA is all encompassing with education, free flow of humans and the African Continental Research Foundation as vehicles.

The visiting international research fellow, AISA, and former president, African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, Prof. Hilary Inyang, said since the world is heading for the 4th industrial revolution, there is need for Africa to utilise inherent knowledge to grow goods and services for the benefit of the continent.