The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi has briefed the media on the forthcoming, maiden edition of NOTAP Technology and Innovation Summit with the Theme, “Harnessing R&D and Innovation Potentials of the Nigeria’s STI Ecosystem.
Dr. Amadiobi while addressing the Media, said that the Office was established in early 70s 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 the cause of carrying out the statutory responsibilities of the Office, it was discovered that majority of the technologies that power the Nigerian economy are foreign and in order to change the narrative and put the country in a path of technology advancement, the Office evolved various strategic programmes and projects which includes, but not limited to NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF).
The DG stated that the Technology Summit aims at convening key leaders from government, private sector, academia, development partners, and the startup ecosystem to explore strategies for strengthening Nigeria’s innovation landscape and positioning the nation as a hub for technology-driven economic growth.
She emphasized that the forum will serve as a strategic platform to harness skills, foster dialogue and action around innovation policy, technology transfer, intellectual property, and commercialization of research and development (R&D) results.
“ Our goal is to accelerate the transformation of research and creativity into commercially viable enterprises that drives national development” she noted.
Dr. Amadiobi reiterated that the summit will host a special exhibition pavilion to highlight Nigeria’s emerging technologies, research outputs, and development partnerships, reflecting NOTAP’s commitment to bridging the gap between invention and commercialization.
She further stated that the Office is organizing the Technology and Innovation Summit in collaboration with its implementation consultants, Crestsage limited, to ensure a world-class experience that aligns with NOTAP’s mission of promoting innovation and sustainable technology development across Nigeria.
The DG further said the Summit will also be used in lunching her pet project known as Project NOVA, meaning National Outsourcing Value Acceleration, which is aimed at bringing industry players, experts and young talented Nigerians together to ensure an accelerated technology transfer and adaptation. She said that under project NOVA, technology hubs will be built across the country to facilitate skills acquisition across the geo-political Zones of the country.
She used the medium to call on all Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) stakeholders across the country to be part of this crusade to ensure a speedy technology development for overall industrialization of the country.
Raymond Onyenezi Ogbu
