The Honorable Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, has announced a transformative national strategy to position Nigeria as a competitive leader in the global knowledge economy.
Speaking at the official presentation of patent certificates to thirteen Nigerian researchers and innovator under the patent-assisted program of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), the Honorable Minister issued a historic directive to expand local content mandate beyond the oil and gas sector and revealed the passing of a critical legislative bill awaiting presidential assent.
He said that the ceremony was far more than a celebration of inventors but leapfrog for Nigeria’s industrial future. “We are moving decisively from protecting ideas to building a resilient, diversified economy powered by our own ingenuity. This is the core mission of the Renewed Hope Agenda, the Nigeria First policy, and Presidential Executive Order 5.”
The Minister commended NOTAP as a pivotal implementing agency of Executive Order 5 and the National Science, Technology, and Innovation (NSTI) Policy 2022, adding that since 2010, NOTAP has facilitated 353 patents at no cost to inventors, representing a strategic national investment in home-grown intellectual property. Dr. Udeh described NOTAP as the operational engine turning the Nigerian national policy into tangible progress.
He expressed delight in NOTAP’s efforts at ensuring Intellectual Property Right (IPR) in the Nigerian knowledge establishment and building a patent culture in the STI ecosystem. He reiterated the ministry’s commitment to supporting NOTAP through strategic plans for increased budgetary provisions for the office, adding that in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration, NOTAP has secured a space as an integral part of the crusade for sustained economic development of the country.
The Honorable Minister was unequivocal while unveiling what he described as a concrete three-pillar support plan from his ministry to NOTAP, which includes providing financial grants and seed funding to propel prototypes to finished products, facilitating direct linkages with industry for licensing and joint ventures, and establishing strategic partnerships with relevant institutions, including the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), the Bank of Industry (BOI), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), TETFUND, and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI).
In her opening remarks, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NOTAP, Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, said that the appointment of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, as the Honorable Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, is a testament to the commitment of the present administration to ensuring the growth of the Science, Technology, and Innovation ecosystem.
The DG said that NOTAP was established to regulate the inflow of foreign technologies into the country through the registration of technology transfer agreements but also has the responsibility to encourage the efficient development and domestication of locally motivated technologies. She said that in carrying out its responsibilities, the office noticed a weak intellectual property culture in the Nigerian knowledge establishment, and as a country that strives to be a global competitor in the intellectual property ecosystem, the situation was unacceptable.
Dr. Amadiobi stated that to increase IP awareness in the Nigerian knowledge system, NOTAP, in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), initiated the establishment of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in Nigerian research establishments in 2006. She said that Nigeria cannot continue to depend on foreign technologies while the country has an array of skilled manpower that only requires support and patronage to thrive.
The NOTAP Boss emphasized that in line with NOTAP’s mandates, the office has vigorously pursued the institutionalization of IP culture within the Nigerian research and innovation ecosystem through the establishment of IPTTOs and patent-assisted programs. She said that the thirteen patent certificates being celebrated have passed through the patenting process at the patent registry, adding that the awardees should prepare for after-patent commercialization, and the Honorable Minister has promised full support in ensuring the commercialization of their inventions.
Patent recipients commended the Director-General of NOTAP for supporting the development of Intellectual Property in Nigeria through the patent support program. They promised to continue ensuring the development of the Nigerian STI ecosystem.
