As part of efforts to promote the growth of Nigeria’s science, technology and innovation (STI) ecosystem, the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) is set to establish technology and innovation hubs across the country’s geopolitical zones.
Speaking at a one-day south-east stakeholders’ sensitisation workshop and campaign, organised by the office, the director-general of NOTAP, Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi said the workshop aimed to create meaningful engagement with stakeholders in the region on the functions and activities of the agency.
Amadiobi, who was represented by the head of the corporate planning department, Emeka Orji noted that the workshop was designed to sustain and expand the reach and visibility of NOTAP’s programmes in the zone. According to her, it was also meant to facilitate the creation of awareness about the agency’s activities and to bridge the gap between the Office and members of the public, especially those previously limited to engaging with the Abuja headquarters.
She explained that the event provided a valuable opportunity to identify and engage with the various technology-based operations and innovations that are prominent in the southeast and are relevant to the agency’s mandate.
The director-general acknowledged the high number of educational institutions in the south-east, particularly in Enugu State, which, she said, boasts a wealth of knowledge institutions forming a strong foundation for national development.
She emphasised that the NOTAP south-east zonal office is strategically positioned to provide the framework and support needed to convert the region’s research efforts into tangible products and services that address national needs. These outcomes, she said, will be facilitated through NOTAP’s various technology advisory and support services. One key area of interest to researchers in the zone, she noted, is the patent support services that ensure intellectual property generated in the south-east is protected under the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) framework and supported for commercialisation.
Amadiobi further revealed that, as part of incentives to researchers, NOTAP pays the patent processing fees for Nigerian inventors and innovators who submit their patent applications through the agency.
She noted that NOTAP is also strengthening Nigeria’s STI ecosystem through strategic partnerships with industry under the NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) scheme. Through this initiative, industry players provide scholarships to researchers with master’s degrees to pursue PhD programmes focused on areas selected by industry stakeholders and carried out within Nigerian universities. So far, she disclosed, 23 Nigerians have benefited from the scheme and additional applications are currently being processed.
The director-general highlighted that the same industry partnership has led to the upgrading of research laboratories in 10 Nigerian tertiary institutions through the NOTAP-Industry Research Laboratory Upgrade Programme (NIRLUP). This initiative, she said, has transformed these labs into state-of-the-art research facilities.
According to her, the combined effect of developing a pool of highly skilled researchers with industry-relevant experience and the emergence of modern laboratory infrastructure is already positively influencing the quality of research outputs and the number of patents being generated within a short period.
Amadiobi informed the audience that NOTAP, through the same industry partnerships, is currently developing a pilot tech hub at its Abuja headquarters. A second hub is slated for establishment in Enugu, the capital of the south-east zone. She explained that the project, known as “NOTAP Project NOVA,” aims to build a talent pool of tech-savvy youths who will be trained by leading industry experts and subsequently outsourced to provide technological solutions to various sectors of the Nigerian economy.
She expressed optimism that the initiative would further encourage collaboration with the private sector to scale up its impact on national development through STI.
The director-general expressed confidence that the workshop would equip participants with practical knowledge and skills applicable to technology acquisition, promotion and commercialisation. She encouraged all researchers and stakeholders in the south-east to leverage the zonal office, located at the Enugu State Secretariat, to ensure their inventions and innovations are properly patented and protected from intellectual property infringement.
In his goodwill message, the director of the intellectual property and technology transfer office (IPTTO) at Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Prof. Chinedu Aguba lauded NOTAP’s efforts toward fostering a sustainable national economy through strategic support for STI development.
In a statement signed by the head of NOTAP’s public relations and protocol unit, Raymond Ogbu, Aguba described the agency’s interventions in Nigeria’s knowledge institutions as unparalleled and urged other regulatory bodies to emulate its approach in building a nation that all Nigerians can be proud of. He also pledged to disseminate the knowledge gained from the workshop within his university to encourage more demand-driven and market-oriented research initiatives.
