By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan
National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) and the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) have reinforced collaboration to accelerate the commercialisation of Nigeria’s research and development (R&D) outcomes.
The strategic partnership will drive intellectual property protection, technology transfer, and local content development, aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to foster entrepreneurship and technological advancement.
A statement by the Chief Information and Public Relations Officer of NBTI, Olajumoke David, at the weekend, noted that the collaboration was consummated during a meeting of leaders of both agencies.
“During a high-level meeting at NOTAP headquarters in Abuja, the NBTI’s Director General/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Kazeem Kolawole Raji; and NOTAP’s Director General/CEO, Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, explored key areas of cooperation.
“These include Intellectual Property (IP) Rights and Protection. This will provide NBTI entrepreneurs with expert guidance on patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
“There is also Technology Transfer and Knowledge Promotion, which aims at supporting innovators in leveraging R&D outputs for market success.
“We also have commercialisation of Indigenous Technologies. It aims at advancing over 150 NBTI patents through targeted support and industry linkages.
“And there is Local Content Development and Export Facilitation, which will be encouraging the adoption of Nigerian-made technologies in global markets,” he explained.
Dr. Amadiobi emphasised the importance of supporting indigenous products and training NBTI entrepreneurs on intellectual property rights to enhance their competitiveness.
She highlighted NOTAP’s commitment to ensuring that locally-developed technologies gained proper recognition and commercialisation support.
On his part, Dr. Raji noted that NBTI had generated over 5,000 products currently in local and international markets, creating approximately 250,000 jobs.
He reiterated that technology incubation programmes had significantly contributed to Nigeria’s economic growth, fostering innovations in traditional, electromechanical, and emerging technologies.
“To further promote indigenous innovations, both agencies agreed to organise a joint trade fair and exhibition featuring NBTI incubatees and NOTAP-backed innovators.
“This initiative will create market visibility, connect entrepreneurs with investors, and encourage Nigerians to embrace homegrown technologies.
“A joint committee was inaugurated to drive the partnership forward, with a focus on scaling up NBTI’s patents for commercialisation,” the statement added.
Dr. Raji also underscored the urgent need for the Federal Government to enact Executive Orders 003 and 005 into law, towards ensuring policy support for local technology, innovation, and ICT development.
