NOTAP tasks leaders on innovation for Africa’s sustainable development

Director-General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, has called on African countries to embrace innovation for sustainable economic development of the continent.

Ibrahim, who made the appeal, while flagging off the 2022 African Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights in Abuja, added that about 98 per cent of industries operating in Nigeria are owned by foreigners.

He recalled that every September 13 was set aside for the commemoration of African Day.

According to him, what makes the difference between developed and developing nations is advancement in technology.

The NOTAP DG stressed the need for all African nations to invest more on research and development to ensure the technological advancement of the continent.

Ibrahim said: “More than 90 per cent of technology used in Nigeria are imported, and there is no way a country can develop with this. Our research institutions are expected to develop research so that we can come up with an alternative technology to reduce importation. But even the education institutions that are to come up with research are not well-funded.

“We must, therefore, improve on funding of research. In fact, about 98 per cent of industries operating in Nigeria are foreign-based. Their interest is not to develop our country, but to make money and transfer them to their own countries.”

He disclosed that Nigeria has started exporting software across Africa, urging engagement of the industry and academia for better outcomes.

Ibrahim lamented that the secondary and vocational schools that had been major partners in commemorating the day with technology and innovation exhibitions are not part of the event, because due to long vacation.

He stated that while carrying out the statutory responsibility of the office, it was observed that the culture of Intellectual Property Protection within the knowledge institutions was low, hence the need to establish Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) to encourage inventive and innovative activities in the knowledge establishments.

The DG said prior to the establishment of IPTTOs, researchers in the universities, polytechnics and others were not interested in patenting their research and development results, rather they were publishing their inventions for purposes of career progression.

He said with the presence of the PTTOs in the universities, the situation had changed.

In his presentation, Head of Programmes, Innova8 hub, Dr. Obichi Obiajunwa, said the company remains a focal point for innovative start-ups, incubation, technology transfer knowledge, skill impartation, as well as prototypes development and fabrication.