NOTAP Strengthens Intellectual Property Rights Of Nigerian Inventors

The National Office For Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has moved to preserve the Intellectual Property Right (IPRs) of Nigerian Inventors and innovators in order to boost their potential to develop products and services that will add value to the nation’s economy.

This was the focus awareness and capacity building workshop on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) for inventors, innovators and researchers, which was organised by NOTAP in Abuja on Tuesday with the theme “Protecting and Commercialising R&D results for Nigeria’s STI Growth”.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Monilola Udoh, who gave the keynote address, said that it has become imperative for Nigeria to address the   “low limited culture of IPRs” in the country adding that the workshop was essential because it will open avenue for the country’s researchers and inventors to exploit the invaluable benefits from IPRs.

In a world driven by a knowledge economy, the Permanent Secretary said “We must preserve our intellectual Property and use the knowledge to benefit our economy”.

In his presentation, the Director General of NOTAP, Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim ,lamented the challenges of Intellectual Property in the country, stressing that Nigeria must develop its IPRs to stop the over dependence on imported technology which cost the nation huge amounts of money.

He said  “more than 90 per cent of the technologies that power  the Nigerian economy are imported technologies in any sector you can think of, be it  the transportation sector and manufacturing.  And if you sit down and think, where are the sources of these technologies?  They are products of   knowledge; they are products of research and development of other people.”

He said that although various institutions in Nigeria are expected to undertake credible research and development to gradually reduce the dependence of imported technologies, R & D in Nigeria is weak because of poor funding.

He however, pointed out that NOTAP has moved to address this problem by trying to regulate the flow of foreign technology in the country even as it encourages and promotes locally generated technology.

“Despite the fact that funding is weak, still innovation and inventions come of the system ,” he said, adding that NOTAP is trying to fill the gap by guiding inventors on the process to protect their IP because when the IP is protected it has the greater chance of being commercialised by the private sector.

“Nigerian inventors must be enlightened on how they can also use their own IP to generate revenue to the country,” he said.

He also called for synergy between intellectuals and private industry experts who are the investors that can commercialize the research s products to add value to the Nigerian economy and get foreign exchange for the country.

The workshop attracted experts from varied science and technology  backgrounds, who urged steady funding and policy consistency to put Nigeria in a better stead to compete with the rest of the world in technology.