The Director General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim has called on African Countries to embrace the culture of innovation for the sustainable economic development of the continent.
Dr Ibrahim made the call while flagging off the 2022 Commemoration of African Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights held at the Innov8 Hub, Airport Road, Abuja.
He said that the 13th of September of every year was set aside for the Commemoration of African Day by the then African leaders and heads of state to arouse the latent intellectual capabilities of the African youths in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.
The DG further said that what makes the difference between developed and developing countries was advancement in technology therefore he encouraged all African Countries to invest more in research and development to ensure the technological advancement of the continent. He added that developed countries had gone far ahead of African Countries because they had invested much in research and development.
He regretted that the Secondary and vocational schools that were major partners in commemorating the African day with technology and innovation exhibitions are not part of the event because schools were just resuming after a long break. He called on governments at all levels to show commitment to investing in research.
Dr Ibrahim further stated that while carrying out the statutory responsibility of the Office, it was observed that the culture of Intellectual Property Protection within the knowledge institutions was low, hence the need to establish Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) to encourage inventive and innovative activities in the knowledge establishments.
He said that prior to the establishment of IPTTOs, researchers in the Universities, polytechnics and research establishments were not interested in patenting their research and development results rather they publish their inventions for the purposes of career progression. He said that with IPTTOs in place in the universities, the situation has changed.
In his brief presentation, the Head of Programmes of Innova8 hub, Dr Obichi Obiajunwa said that Innova8 hub is a privately owned facility and a non-profit innovations-driven organization with the mandate to groom a generation of innovators, inventors and researchers for national development.
He further stated that Innov8 is a focal point for innovation start-up, incubation, technology transfer of knowledge and skill impartation, prototypes development and fabrication. He added that the organization strategically assist organizations and individuals seeking to transfer their ideas into initiatives, and inventions into solutions. He expressed appreciation for the partnership that has dovetailed into hosting the African Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights in their facilities.
