IT NEWS NIGERIA
*NOTAP not empowered to sanction
*Staff strength about 120
*Accessibility: only Lagos and Abuja offices. Not in other states
*Saved 192bn for Nigeria from 2010 to 2016
*Secure about 38 patents for agencies and private researchers
IT NEWS NIGERIA:
National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) announced that it has saved Nigeria the sum of N192 billion in 6 years and secure about 38 patents for agencies and private researchers in just 6 months of 2017.
The Director General , Dr DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim said this during a media briefing at the agency’s Liaison Office in Lagos Wednesday.
In carryout our statutory function of registration of Technology Transfer Agreement, he said “NOTAP has saved the country N192 billion between 2010 and 2016. This sum if not for NOTAP intervention would have left the country as captal flight.”
According to him, the agency achieved through refusal to approve for importation of technologies and as well as services that could be rendered by Nigerians.
“NOTAP has also secure about 38 patents for agencies and private researchers in the first half of the year. The patents were delivered to the researchers/ institutions at no cost to the owners.”
Answering questions, the DG revealed some of the challenges the agency faces in the discharge it its functions. He explained the law that established the agency did empower it to sanction erring companies and individuals.
”Law establishing NOTAP has no room for sanction. We often rely on certificate denials as a means to check erring companies and individuals.”
According to him, “we hope the national Assembly review that law” in order to empower NOTAP to sanction and where necessary prosecute anyone or companies that chose to be clever to bypass the agency and bring in technology without properly documented agreement for technology transfer that protect the interest of Nigerians.
As regards accessibility of the entire country to NOTAP, Dr Danazumi said Lagos Liaison Office is the only NOTAP office outside Abuja head office in addition to the fact that the agency is gradually losing its staff strength.
“When I resumed office two years ago there were more hands than today especially at a time responsibilities are increasing. Formerly we were 152 staff but now we are about 120. Old and experienced staff are retiring without replacement. There are no budget provisions for employment.”
He, however, noted that NOTAP is forward thinking and the option of Service Automation is high on the agenda of the agency for improved services and to meet up with its responsibilities.
Speaking further, DanAzumi said in s statement that: “NOTAP’s Mission statement is to ensure the acceleration of Nigeria’s drive towards a rapid technological revolution by an efficient assimilation/absorption of foreign technology and a concerted development of indigenous technological capability through a proactive commercialization and promotion of locally motivated technologies. ”
“We introduced in order to launch Nigeria into the global global technology power brokers, NOTAP with the assistance of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in 2006 established Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in some pioneer Nigerian knowledge institutions to first of all create the awareness of the importance of Intellectual Property (IP) protection.”
‘This Programme was aimed at sensitizing and refocusing the minds of Nigerian researchers towards embarking on market and market-driven resaerch rather than engaging in resaerch for purposes of promotion , to also remond Nigeroians that their researches lying in the shelf can be translated in products and services.”
This programme has triggered demand-driven research and patents have started coming from across the institutions and their results are at the final state of commercialization.
“A typical case in point is the invention of an energy giving biscuit by Federal Institute of industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) which is currently being licensed to NASCO Biscuits Limited for commercial exploitation. To this end, all necessary MOUs for IP users and royalty payment are being prepared.”
