Africa Day for Technology, IPR: NOTAP Charts Path to Technological Independence

The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has described the annual commemoration of Africa Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) as an important pathway towards achieving technological independence and sustainable development across the continent.

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NOTAP, Dr Obiageli Edith Amadiobi, stated this in a message marking the 2026 Africa Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights.

The statement, signed by the organisation’s Public Relations Officer, Raymond Onyenezi Ogbu, noted that September 13 is commemorated annually across African countries as Africa Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights.

According to NOTAP, the observance followed a resolution adopted by the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU), at the Council of Ministers and Assembly of Heads of State and Government meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in July 1999.

Amadiobi said the commemoration was designed to awaken the creative and inventive abilities of African innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs, describing such capacity as critical to the rapid development of nations.

She said the initiative was also intended to sensitise African countries to the importance of technology domestication, strengthen intellectual property systems and encourage innovation as a tool for poverty reduction and sustainable development.

“The commemoration of Africa Day is aimed at arousing the latent creativity and inventive spirit of innovators, researchers, and entrepreneurs, a critical pathway to the rapid development of any nation,” she said.

The NOTAP DG explained that, in recognition of the importance of technology and intellectual property to Nigeria’s economic development, the Federal Government mandated the agency, under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, to coordinate Nigeria’s participation in the annual observance.

She said Nigeria had since joined other African nations in marking the event through exhibitions showcasing scientific innovations by selected secondary and vocational schools in the Federal Capital Territory, as well as members of the Association of Nigerian Inventors (ANI) and the Association of Researchers and Inventors Network (ARIN).

According to her, the initiative provides an avenue to identify and develop the intellectual potential of Nigerian youths, researchers and inventors while demonstrating the country’s commitment to Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) as a driver of national development.

Amadiobi stressed that African countries must place STI at the centre of their development strategies, particularly as knowledge and innovation continue to play an increasingly important role in economic growth globally.

She noted that the decision by African leaders to dedicate a day to the role of technology and intellectual property in sustainable development was an important step towards achieving technological advancement on the continent.

The DG also highlighted various initiatives through which the Nigerian Government has sought to promote technology acquisition, innovation and intellectual property protection.

Among them is the establishment of 69 Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in selected universities, polytechnics and research institutions across the country.

Other programmes include the NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF), NOTAP-Industry Research Laboratory Upgrade Programme (NIRLUP), Technology Story Board (TSB) initiative and Project NOVA.

Project NOVA, according to the agency, is a technology hub initiative designed to develop, scale and outsource the expertise of Nigerian youths across different sectors of the economy.

Amadiobi disclosed that the interactive component of this year’s Africa Day commemoration involving inventors, innovators and researchers would be incorporated into the 2026 National Technology and Innovation Summit (NTIS 2.0).

The summit is scheduled to hold on October 7 and 8, 2026, in Ikeja, Lagos.

She said the quality of prototypes presented by Nigerian youths, researchers and innovators during previous Africa Day celebrations offered reasons to remain optimistic about the country’s technological future.

According to her, many countries that have attained significant milestones in science and technology development began with modest initiatives that were sustained through investment and institutional support.

She therefore called for continued government and stakeholder support for innovation programmes, including adequate budgetary allocations to NOTAP and the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.

Amadiobi said sustained funding would enable researchers and innovators to improve their prototypes, develop commercially viable technologies and contribute more meaningfully to Nigeria’s industrial development.

She expressed optimism that with sustained support for research, innovation, technology transfer and intellectual property protection, Nigeria could make significant progress towards joining the league of technologically advanced and industrialised nations.