National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has established 64 Intellectual Property Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in research and tertiary institutions across the nation to promote patenting of Research and Development (R&D) output.
Also, its regulation on inflow of foreign technology “saved Nigeria about N140 billion that could have left the nation’s shores as capital flight between 2012 and 2022.”
NOTAP Director General, Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, disclosed this in Abuja, yesterday, when he led his management team to the Ministry of Science and Technology to brief new Permanent Secretary, James Sule, on activities of the agency.
Ibrahim, who stressed that NOTAP was established to regulate inflow of foreign technology into Nigeria, said the office instituted a local vendor policy, which has enabled local players in the ICT sector to build capacity in software development, with many of them already exporting software to African nations.
He said the office assists inventors and innovators to patent research efforts free of charge by filing and paying fees on their behalf at the Patent Registry, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment.
He informed the new Permanent Secretary of the NOTAP-Industry Partnership, which led to upgrade of five laboratories in research institutions and universities; development of technology storyboard to enhance science and technology among children; and local diary development project, in collaboration with Friesland Campina WAMCO.
Responding, Sule lauded NOTAP for its regulatory role in protecting the economy by registering and evaluating technology transfer agreements.
He said the huge financial savings NOTAP achieved is commendable. He, therefore, encouraged the agency not to rest on its oars, but ensure that the nation’s economy is protected from capital flight.
Sule also applauded the local vendor policy and NOTAP’s completion of its corporate headquarters project, even as he called for increased synergy among agencies under his supervision.
