Federal Govt Hails Project NOVA As Boost for Local Tech, Innovation

The federal government, through the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has unveiled a Project known as Nigeria Outsourcing and Value Acceleration (NOVA) to strengthen the country’s science, technology and indigenous innovation ecosystem.

The director general of NOTAP, Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, made this known when the agency welcomed the minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Dr. Kingsley Udeh, who visited the proposed site of Project NOVA at the NOTAP headquarters on Tuesday in Abuja, adding that the project will accelerate the transformation of research, technology, and indigenous innovation into measurable economic value.

NOVA is an initiative envisioned by the NOTAP boss, which she said was conceived as a strategic national intervention to address one of Nigeria’s most persistent development challenges- the gap between knowledge creation and economic utilisation.

During the visit Dr Udeh inspected the facility where renovation and construction works have recently commenced and received comprehensive briefings from NOTAP management team and the project’s implementation consultant, Crestsage Limted led by Engr. Charles Emembolu.

Dr. Amadiobi lamented that while Nigeria continues to produce thousands of research outputs, innovations, and highly skilled professionals annually across multiple sectors of the economy, only a fraction is translated into commercial products, services enterprises, jobs and industrial growth.

According to a statement from the Office, Dr. Amadiobi noted that the Project NOVA will streamline NOTAP’s national commercialization and delivery platform, creating structured pathways for technology transfer, innovation adoption, enterprise development, workforce competitiveness, and industrial transformation.

“Project NOVA is structured around three integrated pillars: NOVA Centres of Excellence (CoE), NOVA Catalyst, and NOVA Impact, which together provide a coordinated framework for research commercialization, intellectual property management, technology transfer, skill acceleration, enterprise competitiveness and industry collaboration .

“Project NOVA hub is being developed as a national center for innovation, technology commercialization, and industrial advancement. Upon completion, the facility will host several strategic platforms, including an AI Laboratory to support AI research, talent development, outsourcing, and enterprise adoption; Research Commercialization and Policy Centre dedicated to technology transfer, intellectual property management policy innovation, and industry engagement; and Deep Technology Facility focused on frontier technologies, advanced digital infrastructure, and industry-led innovation,” the statement said.

The Deep Technology Facility is being established through strategic partnerships with local and international organizations and is expected to strengthen capabilities in emerging technologies, deepen industry-academia collaboration, support local innovation ecosystems, and develop globally competitive digital talent.

“Project NOVA is about transforming ideas into industries and talent into economic opportunities. For too long, valuable research has remained underutilised while our brightest minds have lacked clear pathways to commercial impact. Through NOVA, NOTAP is building the infrastructure, partnerships, and platforms required to convert innovation into enterprise, create high-value jobs, strengthen local content, and drive sustainable national prosperity,” the NOTAP boss said.

Speaking during the visit, the Minister, who commended NOTAP for its vision and leadership in driving the initiative, described Project NOVA as a timely intervention that aligns strongly with the Federal Government’s agenda for economic diversification, industrialisation, technology development, youth empowerment and inclusive growth.

“Project NOVA reflects our commitment to ensuring that research, innovation, and technology deliver tangible economic value through stronger local content, competitive industries, and sustainable job creation for Nigerians. It demonstrates how innovation policy can be translated into economic outcomes by creating pathways for technology transfer, enterprise growth, and industrial development,” Udeh said.