The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) is promoting an initiative to further connect the private sector and academia to enhance technology transfer and boost Nigeria’s economic development.[blockquote right=”pull-right” cite=”Umar Buba Bindir, Director-General of NOTAP”]Bindir is concerned that Nigeria is not making impact economically because there is disconnect between industry and the academic community. NOTAP found this out through the Office’s mandate of continuous monitoring of technology transfer agreements, Bindir said noting that the agency has taken steps to ensure that industries increase their local value addition and enhance technological development through linkages between universities and over 300 research institutes nationwide. [/blockquote]
Last year, NOTAP unveiled a skill-enhancement programme under which the government agency hopes to enrich the skills of Nigerians. The capacity-building programme, called the NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF), was initiated to connect the academic community and industry across Nigeria.
Umar Buba Bindir, Director-General of NOTAP, said the agency wants industries to increase their local value addition and enhance technology development through appropriate linkages with universities and over 300 research institutes nationwide.
The expectation of NOTAP is that the proper linkages between industry and academia will enhance innovation for national development.
Bindir is concerned that Nigeria is not making impact economically because there is disconnect between industry and the academic community.
NOTAP found this out through the Office’s mandate of continuous monitoring of technology transfer agreements, Bindir said noting that the agency has taken steps to ensure that industries increase their local value addition and enhance technological development through linkages between universities and over 300 research institutes nationwide.
Under the plan, the NITTF platform will function as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) that will create indigenous critical technological competencies of elite-applied knowledge through special Ph. D. programmes that are tenable in Nigerian universities.
Bindir said that this will ensure that technology is properly transferred to Nigerians and ensure economic development in line with the transformation agenda of the present administration.
The fellowship is for a maximum period of four years to be jointly implemented by NOTAP and industry. The fellows will be academic workers in universities and Research Institutes and will be mandated to enter into contract with NOTAP, industry and universities.
The fellows will eventually return to the universities or Research Institutes as lecturers or researchers and this process will ensure speedy transfer of technology, Bindir said.
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