The Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) has awarded the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) with a silver plaque for the efficiency of its self-assessment tool, after an independent and validated assessment in October 2021.
During the award presentation at the NOTAP headquarters in Abuja, the director-general of BPSR, Engr. Dasuki Arabi, commended NOTAP for achieving a silver level rating with a score of 74.25 per cent. He acknowledged the organisation’s success in meeting essential areas of responsibility and lauded its efforts in using technology to provide services and employment for the nation’s youth.
Arabi also expressed satisfaction with NOTAP’s adoption of Information Technology (IT) to digitalise processes locally and engage stakeholders, stating that the bureau is pleased with the organisation’s achievements.
However, he advised NOTAP to focus on strengthening certain policies to enhance good governance, particularly in areas such as organizational health safety, code of conduct, human resources management, staff training, financial accounting, e-procurement and internal control mechanisms.
In his welcome address, the director-general of NOTAP, Dr. DanAzumi Ibrahim, emphasised the office’s primary role in regulating the inflow of foreign technologies into Nigeria while promoting locally motivated technologies.
Ibrahim highlighted NOTAP’s significant contribution in saving over N140 billion for the nation from 2012 to 2022, which would have otherwise gone as capital flight to foreign countries. He mentioned the NOTAP Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) program, initiated in 2015 to support high-level manpower training (PhDs) and bridge the gap between academia and industry. So far, 21 Nigerians have been enrolled in the programme.
The DG also spoke about the Local Vendor Policy, introduced to enhance indigenous software development, particularly in the banking and financial sectors, where over 90 per cent of software was imported. The policy made it mandatory for Local Vendors to be involved in all annual technical support (ATS) services for software agreements, resulting in the development of software for local consumption and export to African countries.
Ibrahim regarded the BPSR rating as a call to action for NOTAP’s management to analyse the report’s recommendations and improve performance. He pledged the organisation’s commitment to achieve an 85 per cent rating when the bureau commences the next phase of its assessment.
The DG stated, “If all agencies are subjected to this type of assessment and they religiously follow the recommendations, I am sure the target of becoming one of the top 20 reformed public service in the whole world will be achieved”.
He expressed gratitude to the bureau for recognising NOTAP’s efforts and commended BPSR for its critical role in enhancing good governance in the public service. The award serves as a motivation for NOTAP to continue its mission of promoting technology acquisition and development within Nigeria.
