Nigeria saves N188.2b capital flight from technology transfer initiatives

THROUGH various technology transfer initiatives overseen by the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Nigeria has been able to save about N188.2 billion from capital flight in four years.

The Director-General of NOTAP, Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, disclosed this at the agency’s 2016 management retreat, held in Minna, Niger State.

Mohammed-Ibrahim said that NOTAP would align its activities with the current administration’s drive to diversify the sources of revenue generation pointing out that NOTAP’s mandate is amongst others, the registration and monitoring of technology transfer agreements coming into the country and promotion of indigenous technologies.

“Between the years 2010 to 2014, the agency saved Nigeria N188.2 billion that would have gone out of the country as capital flight through its intervention in the registration of technology transfer agreements. As such, it is important to review the agency’s activities in line with its mandate, identify the existing gaps and develop clear strategies for implementation”, he stressed.

Reviewing the mandate of the commission, he asserted that this would guide the management on how to reposition the office to play a more active role towards revitalizing the national economy.

The Director -General added that in order to achieve this, it was important for the agency to brainstorm and exchange ideas on the implementation of its programmes.

He decried the shortage of manpower in the agency, urging the Federal Government to improve the institution’s finances for better mandate performance and assured that the agency would continue to monitor technological transfer to the country while ensuring that universities, polytechnics and Research establishments develop intellectual property culture.

Earlier at the retreat, pioneer Chief Executive of NOTAP, Chief James Okono, recounted the hurdles the agency went through during its formative years. He stressed that sheer determination by the founding fathers made it possible for the establishment of the agency.

Okono encouraged the management to ensure capacity building for Staff to equip them towards fulfilling the mandate of the agency.
Former DG of the agency, Dr. David Okongwu, who made a presentation on “The trend of Technology Transfer in Nigeria,’’ said Nigeria was the first to launch satellite in Africa but lamented that Nigeria was backward in technical advancement and called on government at all levels to tackle the current challenges in order to bring out the best in the people.

Immediate past DG of NOTAP and current Secretary to the State Government of Adamawa State, Umar Bindir, in a paper titled, “A Review of NOTAP Mandates/Activities; Gaps and Solutions”, decried the fact that there is no Nigerian product in the international market attributing it to lack of technical skills and world class research facilities that will translate our research products into goods and services that will compete with those of advanced nations of the world.

He added that NOTAP must ensure that our science generates knowledge, expertise and specialists in areas we require to make progress as a nation and ensure that the system transform this knowledge into intellectual property that can be protected and licensed into assets or products and services.

In his paper titled, “Positioning NOTAP as a key driver of the National Economy”, Muhammed Ibrahim said the Office has designed strategic programmes in line with the national socio economic agenda for good governance, security, zero tolerance for corruption, poverty reduction, employment generation and enhanced Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).

He pointed out that the programmes objectives of NOTAP aims at documenting and reducing the level of foreign technology consumption in Nigeria with the view to ; contribute significantly to employment generation  through its programmes  and activities, enhance foreign direct investments  across sectors of the Nigerian economy and contribute significantly to the generation and promotion of locally  motivated technologies.

Muhammed Ibrahim said the Automation of the Technology Transfer Registration process of the Office, building of a befitting Office Complex to provide a conducive working environment for Staff, catalysing the establishment of pilot plants for local sourcing of raw materials in collaboration with the Raw Materials Research and Development Agency (RMRDC), the development of Keke-NOTAP Tricycle Project and strengthening of the NOTAP-Industry Partnerships amongst others will be the areas of focus for the Office aimed at efficient service delivery, wealth creation, poverty reduction and employment generation for Nigerians.

Welcoming participants to the retreat, Muhammed Ibrahim said the retreat was necessary in view of the current economic realities occasioned by the dwindling oil prices, which have affected the nation’s earnings being the mainstay of the national economy.