NOTAP Boss Urges Investment in Research & Development for Growth

DR. Danazumi Ibrahim, directorgeneral of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has said that the only panacea for Nigeria to become technologically independent is to invest hugely on research and development.

Dr Ibrahim stressed that if research and development is not given the priority attention it deserves, then the future of Nigeria becoming independent in terms of sustainability would be weak.

He noted that the option but to spend hugely on research and development so that we gain our independence and be able also to produce and sell our products to the outside world.

The Director-General was speaking when he received the DG and officials of the Defence Research and Development Bureau (DRDB) who were on a courtesy visit to NOTAP headquarters in Abuja.

Dr Ibrahim said over 90 percent of the technologies that powers the Nigerian economy is imported and therefore the nation must be strategic in her approach to tackling this anomaly.

‘‘If research and development is affected then the future of Nigeria becoming independent in terms of sustainability would be weak. I must say we have no option but to spend hugely on research and development so that we gain our independence and be able also to produce and sell our products to the outside world.

‘‘The nation has a very weak intellectual property culture evident in our universities and research institutes and in order to change that, NOTAP in 2006 started partnering with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to establish Intellectual Property Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in Universities to sensitize researchers on the culture of intellectual property and encourage them to file applications for patents before publishing in order to protect their inventions and innovations.

‘‘The office has so far established 45 IPTTOs across the country some of which are in military establishments like Airforce Institute of Technology (AFIT) Zaria, Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna and Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Kaduna in order to harness research and development results that will lead to commercialization.’’ As a result of these efforts in promoting patenting, he said that 65 per cent of the patents that came out in 2019 were through the office, adding that the office has saved over N79.3 billion naira between the years 2015 to 2019 that would have left the shores of the nation as capital flight through its strict regulatory role.

He commended DRDB for its research and development efforts describing as strategic the wisdom of the military in having a single umbrella for its research and development activities and promised that NOTAP will partner with the bureau for the overall development of the nation.

Earlier, Air Vice Marshall Onyemaechi Osahor, director-general of the Defence Research and Development Bureau (DRDB) said the bureau is charged with the responsibility of co-coordinating all the activities of defence-related laboratories, initiating, conducting and coordinating research and development activities in defence and security-related areas.