The Federal Government has strengthened its partnership with the State of Israel to build more capacity for skill development of Nigerian inventors even as it expressed willingness to protect the intellectual assets of their inventions.
This was the crux of the 2nd Graduation Ceremony of the Innovation Fellowship For Aspiring Inventors and Researchers (i-FAIR 2) for young Nigerians held at the Innov8 hub in Abuja yesterday.
In his opening remarks, Yotam Kreiman, Deputy Chief of Mission Embassy of Israel in Nigeria, said that from i-FAIR 1 last year, the approach of the State of Israel and its embassy in Abuja has been strong on knowledge sharing, start-ups, innovation and technologies in emerging context in general and in Nigeria, in particular.
He reiterated the strengths of the State of Israel and how this initiative is “utilizing them in creating a bond through an eco-system of innovation in Nigeria.”
He expressed his appreciation to all the partners, the Innov8, for being home to i-FAIR, as well as other programmes- and all the individuals in the team, mentors and experts who have made the platform productive.
He commended the coordinator of the programme, Neta Hanien for her immense efforts as well as the mentors who took time out of their lives and businesses, to guide, teach and accompany the next generation of innovators as they begin their journey in the Start-up world.
The Director General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, while making his remarks during the ceremony said the federal government will support the inventors to patent their intellectual property. He noted that Nigeria spends so much depending on foreign technologies, stressing the need to change that by building the capacity and skills of Nigerians to boost indigenous technology through the i-FAIR programme.
“NOTAP is here to assist young Nigerians to patent their inventions free of charge,” he said, stressing that private investors can have confidence in the inventions if the intellectual property is adequately protected.
i-FAIR is an initiative for raising a generation of innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs and researchers in Nigeria. It was initiated to bridge the gap between Nigerian start-ups and access to expertise, equipment, mentorship and investment to help participants transform their ideas into inventions and prototypes for commercialization.
The i-FAIR programme is coordinated between the Israeli Embassy and the Office of the Nigerian Vice President.
