The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has awarded patent certificates to 41 researchers and inventors across the country.
Speaking at the disbursement of NOTAP- Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) award letters and presentation of patent certificates today in Abuja, the Minister of State for Science and Technology, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi described the development as a boost to research and industrialization in the country.
He averred that NOTAP- Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) Award was known for providing efficient process for the acquisition and domestication of foreign technologies as enshrined in section 4(c) of the NOTAP Act.
The scheme, according to him, serves as a platform through which industries support the process of building the needed critical mass of skilled knowledge workers of technology transfer in the country.
Abdullahi pointed out that the scheme would create an impact for the Federal Government’s Economic Sustainability Plan programme where researches are translated to production activities and create jobs for youths.
Urging other industries yet to key into the NITFF scheme by sponsoring more candidates for a brighter tomorrow, he said the overall importance of NOTAP was to upgrade research institutions.
He advised patent recipients to make more efforts to move their research and development results to be available in the market, which he said would boost the nation’s overall socio-economic fortunes.
Earlier in his remarks. the director-general of NOTAP, Dr. DanAzumi Ibrahim, said for any economy to become independent, there was a need for capacity building.
“For any nation to become economically independent, we have to develop the necessary capacities, i.e the human resources God has given us. In the process, we realise the gap demarcated between us and developing nations and our capacity to converge our raw materials into products and services, food supply, because we don’t need to import anything into the country, but to export and make income from other nations.
“We can’t do it alone; the scientists are expected to come out with technologies that should be able to assist Nigeria improve on the quality of life of our citizens. It is very sad to note that, more than 90 per cent of the technologies that power the Nigeria’s economy are imported technologies. No nation that is aspiring to become economically independent will fold its arms and allow its economy collapse.
“We see the quantum amount that leaves this country as licensing fees, to inspire our intervention, we feel the private sector and research communities have responsibilities to come together to see how we can catapult our country into economic prosperity,” he added.
