The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has called on African countries to speed up the culture of innovation and research for sustainable national development.
Director-General of NOTAP, Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, made the call during a press conference in Abuja in commemoration of African Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights.
The DG said the difference between developed and developing countries was advancement in technology.
She urged all African countries to invest more in research and development to ensure that their nations do not remain consumers of products of technological advancement from the developed world.
According to her, developed countries have gone far ahead of African countries because they invested in research and development.
She said in today’s knowledge-based and thriving global business economy, absorption of technology had become a veritable component for companies to survive and increase their global competitiveness.
Amadiobi said the commemoration of the day demonstrated the importance which African nations placed on science, technology and innovation as an engine that drives development.
The NOTAP boss referred to the commemoration of African Day of IP by African leaders and Heads of States as a way to arouse the latent intellectual capabilities of the African youth.
“In today’s knowledge-based economy and thriving global business environment, absorption of new technology has become a veritable component for companies to survive and increase their competitiveness in the marketplace”.
“In this digital era, the decision of African leaders to declare a day for the commemoration of the role of technology and intellectual property in achieving sustainable development in the African continent is a positive stride.
“With the increasing importance of knowledge as the main engine of growth, technology is used as a tool to enhance global competitiveness,” she said.
Amadiobi reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to guiding technology transfer processes and promoting IPRs to support indigenous inventors and innovators.
She said this would help in driving progress and harnessing the benefits of innovation for Nigeria’s development.
She said the Federal Government, through NOTAP, had shown commitment to promoting indigenous technologies.
Amadiobi added that the government did that by encouraging entrepreneurs, researchers and inventors to protect their intellectual property and facilitate the process of acquiring foreign technology.
“Nations are no longer valued in terms of their population, geographical landmass or mineral resources.
“They are valued more by the organic mass of knowledge in its citizenry translated into viable research and development outputs and commercialised products.
“Nigeria must develop the technical manpower to attract and domesticate foreign technology in various facets of socioeconomic activities, so it can meet up with the challenges of unemployment, hunger, poverty,” she said.
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