The Director General, NOTAP) Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, has said that except Nigeria development its Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), it would continue to depend on imported technology.
The DG, who was speaking at a workshop for inventors, innovators and researchers, in Abuja, noted that the country needs to start looking inwards to save the huge amount spent on importing IPR.
The workshop had as its theme: “Protecting and Commercialising R&D results for Nigeria’s STI Growth.”
“More than 90% of the technologies that power Nigerian economy are imported technologies in any sector you can think of, be it the transportation sector and manufacturing. And if you sit down and think, where are the sources of these technologies? They are products of knowledge; they are products of research and development of other people.
“Although various institutions in Nigeria are expected to undertake credible research and development to gradually reduce the dependence of imported technologies, R & D in Nigeria is weak because of poor funding.”
He however, pointed out that NOTAP has moved to address this problem by trying to regulate the flow of foreign technology in the country even as it encourages and promotes locally generated technology.
Ibrahim, called for synergy between intellectuals and private industry experts who are the investors that can commercialize the research s products to add value to the Nigerian economy and get foreign exchange for the country.
Also speaking, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Monilola Udoh, has said the workshop has become imperative for Nigeria as it seeks to address the “low limited culture of IPRs” in the country, and also boost the economy.
According to Udoh, that the workshop is essentially to open avenue for the country’s researchers and inventors to exploit the invaluable benefits from IPRs. “In a world driven by a knowledge economy, we must preserve our intellectual Property and use the knowledge to benefit our economy. Thus, the National Office for Technology Acquisition and
Promotion (NOTAP), is trending on.”
The workshop attracted experts from varied science and technology, backgrounds, who urged steady funding and policy consistency to put Nigeria in a better stead to compete with the rest of the world in technology.
