The Director-General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim has disclosed that over 90percent of the technologies presently powering the Nigerian economy are imported.
Speaking at a One Day Patentees Forum in Bauchi by the agency for researchers, inventors and innovators, the DG decried the situation, noting that the tide must be stemmed to save the nation’s scarce foreign exchange.
He argued that the world has fast moved away from resource to a knowledge-based economy and Nigeria must not be left behind.
While admitting that the numerous efforts made by Nigerian researchers, inventors and innovators do not translate into products and services, the NOTAP DG, stated that the forum was organized to provide the needed synergy between researchers and funding institutions to create the necessary impetus that would ensure that Research & Development (R&D) outputs from the nation’s knowledge centers are moved to the market as products and services.
He said NOTAP has through its regulatory role of registration and monitoring of technology transfer agreements saved the nation over N79.6 billion on that would have left the nation’s borders as capital flight.
According to him, this was done by various initiatives and policies such as; the Local Vendor Policy, NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) and Upgrade of Chemical Laboratories in Institutions of higher learning/research institutes in a bid to stimulate indigenous skills development in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, Prof. Mohammed Abdulazeez represented by the Director of Research, Innovation and Development ATBU, Prof. Fatima Sawa said Nigeria cannot make any meaningful progress without investment in research, science, technology and innovation.
She commended NOTAP for organizing the forum noting that it will help the nation in moving forward technologically pointing out that no one will develop our nation and it, therefore, behooves on Nigerians to support the patriotic moves by NOTAP to instill the culture of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for our much-needed socio-economic development.