Regulation of tech transfer agreements saved Nigeria N140bn in 10 years – NOTAP

The Director General (DG) of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr Dan Azumi Mohammed Ibrahim, has stated that regulating technology transfer agreements in Nigeria has saved the country over N140 billion that would have left to other countries as capital flight from 2012 to 2022.

Speaking during an award presentation to the agency by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) in Abuja, Ibrahim said that through various partnerships with industry, Nigeria had bridged the wide gap existing between academia and industry through projects like the NOTAP Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF).

He said the programme which kicked off in 2015 was envisaged to be a voluntary contribution fund by industries to support high level manpower training (PhDs) to fast-track the development, acquisition, assimilation and diffusion of technology in Nigerian industries and had so far enrolled 21 Nigerians.

He noted that the Local Vendor Policy was made out of concern that over 90 per cent of the software being utilized by Nigerians especially in the banking and other financial sectors was imported leading to an urgent need for the enhancement of indigenous software development.

He added that through its mandate of registration of technology transfer agreements, NOTAP made it mandatory for Local Vendors to be involved in all Annual Technical Support (ATS) services for Software Agreements or updates and the Local Vendor’s fee paid in naira by the licensor.

In his remark, the DG of BPSR, Engr Dasuki Ibrahim Arabi, said NOTAP was rated a silver level organisation by the bureau, having scored 74.25 per cent and therefore met expectations in all essential areas of responsibility.

He added that the quality of work in the organisation was generally good since the most critical organisational goals were achieved and as such deserved the silver award, but urged the agency to work harder since it had great potential for improvement.