Current trends show that the global community operates in the age of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) whereby distance no longer pose challenges to achieving possibilities. A cursory look at the environment reveals prior eased emergence of activities that are highly dynamic.

This emerging growth of technology is not evenly distributed across the globe as the presence of technology is evidently everywhere in the developed countries, same cannot be said of the developing Countries. While the developed Countries enjoy sophisticated technologically motivated transport systems that not only eases traffic within the cities, it also ensures limited cases if not zero auto crashes.

Banking services in such technologically advanced nations are smart to the point that their mobile phones have become their mini banking halls as they can perform various kinds of banking activities in the comfort of their homes.   The absence of technology or limited access to technology in developing countries is greatly reflecting on the quality of life of the citizens of such countries.

However, technology transfer has a great effect and enormous benefits to the economy and could be a dependable source of economic sustainability of developed nations through increased productivity, lowering cost, reducing poverty and enriching social activities.

Africa still remains the continent with the lowest level of technology deployment in all aspects of human productive ventures. Unfortunately, there is inadequate infrastructural development and equipment for production activities such as in automated Agro-processing to ensure availability of food.  This explains why African and other developing countries are considered dumping ground for obsolete and inferior technologies. In order to make up for the technology shortage in the continent, Africans have vigorously resorted to technology transfer for its assimilation, absorption and adaptation.

For a better understanding of the subject matter, it is imperative to explain what technology transfer is all about. Technology transfer is the process of moving technology from the places of its origination to wider distribution among more people and places. In order words, it means taking or distribution of technology from the place of production/invention to the places of need. Technology transfer occurs among universities, businesses, from large businesses to smaller ones, from governments to businesses across border, both formally and informally, and both openly and surreptitiously. Technology transfer could also be viewed from two stand points; vertical which is internal technology transfer and horizontal technology transfer which is the transfer of technology from one nation to another (external technology transfer). Often it occurs by concerted effort to share skills, knowledge, technologies, methods of manufacturing, samples of manufacturing, and facilities among governments or universities and other institutions to ensure that scientific and technological developments are accessible to a wider range of users, who can then further develop and exploit the technology into new products, processes, applications, materials, or services.  Nigeria as a developing nation is endowed with a lot of bright brains who can study a technology or process, assimilate, modify and adapt the technology to meet her local needs. Unfortunately, over the years, Nigeria, the most densely populated black African has depended largely on foreign Software developers to power her financial Institutions. This practice has hitherto, rendered an avalanche of technically inclined and capable minds redundant and irrelevant to the economy of their beloved nation. With millions of Naira spent by Nigerians to acquire, install, adapt and maintain foreign technologies at the expense and detriment of our foreign reserves and also deprive Nigerians job opportunities inherent in technology development. Most times, these deployed technologies are not fully understood by Nigerians so, human capabilities from foreign lands are imported for their repairs and maintenance through the deployment of after sales men. This is obviously not the case in Asia and Latin America, where technology is bought, assessed by indigenous experts, assimilated, adapted, modified, dismantled and re-engineered to produce an innovative version of that technology, fit for its local circumstance and for possible global export.  To change the Nigerian narrative of huge importation of technologies, effective collaboration between research Institutes within the sector in the country can play a key role in technology transfer between the institutions and industry. We must bear in mind that technology transfer is the movement of technology from the point of conception to the place of application (i.e. from the laboratory to the industry). An internally generated technology cannot be successfully transferred to the industry without the support of external funding because the inventor may not have the financial capacity to initiate its transfer. Therefore, there must be a private-public partnership to aid the transfer and commercialization of the discovered technology for mutual benefits.

To achieve effective technology transfer as a nation, there must be strategic plans to develop what may be called “human magnets”. This is a group of engineers and technologists that are skilled enough to understudy the imported technology and assimilate it for proper adaptation. More efforts and attention should be given to research funding because technologies are products of research and no meaningful research could be carried out without investing huge some of funds on it. We must invest in a well-trained and equipped technical workforce as that is the key to technology adaptation, operation and management. Secondly, given the high rate of migration of scientists, engineers and technologists from Nigeria to developed nations where their technical competences are fully harnessed and showcased with better take home, adequate incentive packages and mentorship programmes attractive to young and upcoming researchers alongside enabling environment would go a long way in helping to keep these researchers in the country.

Thirdly, there must be technology partnership between knowledge institutions and the industry as well as between Nigeria and the developed nations since technology transfer has to do with knowledge sharing and the adaptation of new technology to meet the local condition. This will enhance a viable, effective and robust technology transfer process, and also boost technology capabilities, involvement and strengthening competitiveness.  This should be with a view to forming a network to improve access to new ideas, methods and information sharing and material exchange. We should acknowledge the fact that technology partnership can only be effective when both partners meet the required technical competence; otherwise, it will be a lopsided partnership unless the technologically weak partner is willing and ready to part with the better part of the investment cost. Additionally, to remain relevant and afloat in the global economy require some level of up-to-date knowledge, innovation, management, and technology capabilities.

According to Dunning and Lundan 2008 “The ability to create, acquire, learn, use and effectively deploy technological capacity is one of the key ingredients of economic success in virtually all societies”. The exact realization of net benefit of technology transfer to developing countries is measured using TFP as a proxy and can be enhanced by strengthening their local economy and capabilities to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow with the aid of strict and stringent government regulations. Haven observed the problems of technology transfer to less developed countries which can be attributed to lack of necessary knowledge and experience in entrepreneurial managements and skills, urgent and pragmatic approach should be taken by the developing countries to ameliorate the problem. One of the major ways to help improve the economic growth and standard of living of the developing and less developed economies is the effective transfer of genuine and well functional technological transfer.

Technology transfer can only be said to be successful when it leads to the transformation of the lives of the citizens through a noticeable transfer of critical knowledge from the developed countries to the developing countries. For technology transfer to actually take place, the human magnets of the recipient countries must engage themselves in the task of eliminating the problems facing the technological advancement. A genuine technology transfer in a country like Nigerian means a transfer of technical skills and knowledge that can enhance the effective use of the recipients natural and human resources in a maximum way.

In the early 70s, Nigeria the most populated nation in the Continent of Africa witnessed an oil boom which necessitated the country to seek foreign assistance in development of modern infrastructure which was to dovetail to the socio-economic development of the country. The requisite skills for technology bargaining was absence in the Nigerian entrepreneurs, leading to unfair technology pricing and importation of obsolete technologies into the country, hence the establishment of an agency to correct these anomalies.

The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) is an agency of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology saddled with the responsibility of regulating the inflow of foreign technology through the registration of technology transfer agreement. Over the years, NOTAP has ensured that multinational companies operating in the country promote local content principles of the present administration through upgrading of chemical laboratories of some Nigerian knowledge institutions. This is to ensure that technology is transferred into the country for the economic advancement of the nation. It is instructive to note that the Nigerian knowledge Institutions who are the direct beneficiaries of this technology transfer have started making an impressive outputs as a result of that intervention by NOTAP.

Raymond Onyenezi Ogbu (mnipr)

Nowadays, we live in an era of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) age whereby distance no longer pose a challenge and possibilities are emerging every day. When we look round our environment, we are away of technological display in every of our daily endeavour, new developments in technology.

This emerging growth of technology is not evenly distributed across the globe as the presence of technology are evidently everywhere in the developed Countries, same cannot be said of the developing Countries. While the developed Countries enjoy sophisticated technologically motivated transport systems that not only eases traffic within the cities, it also ensures limited cases if not zero auto crashes. Banking services in such technologically advances nations are smart to the point that their mobile phones have become their mini banking halls as they perform all kinds of banking activities in the comfort of their homes.   The absence of technology or limited access to technology in developing countries is greatly reflecting on the quality of life of the people.

However, technology transfer has a great effect and enormous benefits to the economy and could be a dependable source of economic sustainability of developed nations through increased productivity, lowering cost, reducing poverty and enriching social activities. This is why technology transfer has been a major concern for many companies, institutions and government establishments. Although there is no doubt that developed countries have very strong and vibrant educational programmes that breed the highly skilled manpower through research and innovation that propels the production capacities of their industries.

Globally, no country is recognized without a highly standardized educational structure which has a robust interface with industry to address various challenges besieging the industry as it is a key element to sustainable economic development. Consequently, researches carried out in these countries are structured and tailored at solving identified industrial problems for improved performance by the production facilities and overall benefits of the country.

In countries like Japan, Germany, United States of America, UK etc, research and innovation centers churn out goods and services enough not only for local consumption but also have some of their products on export list.

This is because industries are linked to the academia with regular engagements in researches undertakings that are targeted at developing goods and services for economic development. Highly rated and renowned academic research scholars in these countries, turn out good number of patented inventions from research institutions which are further commercialized for economic benefits of both the researchers and their institutions.

These countries devote five to ten percent of their annual budget to research and development. Significant attention is also given to research not only by government but also privately owned companies and individuals through establishment of dedicated research funds to enable them carry out research works that would address critical challenges of the society.

In most developed countries, donor agencies and multinationals set aside funds to encourage researchers as a way of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and invite interested researchers to submit bankable research proposal and access the funds for the purposes of addressing specific societal challenges through their R&D results. A case study of such research funds established is the tetfund established by the United Kingdom to assist researchers in Tertiary and Research Institutions to access funds to carry out research in some areas militating against the health and development of the third world countries.

Aside the provision of research funds in such countries, government also provide enabling environment, academic infrastructure and world class laboratories that encourage research and learning for optimal results.

This is why the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) in collaboration with PZ Cussons Nigeria plc introduced Knowledge Institutions Laboratory Upgrade known as NOTAP-Industry Research Laboratory Upgrade in 2012 to help the research community by upgrading laboratories of some knowledge institutions to ensure that credible research results are obtained from such research facilities. NOTAP in carrying out its statutory responsibilities realized that most production companies in the Country carry out their laboratory analyses in their parent company abroad with the claim that there are no state-of-the art laboratory facilities in Nigeria. As a regulatory agency that registers the technology transfer agreements of every technology that enters the Country, The Management of NOTAP went into dialogue with some industries to commence the upgrading of research laboratories across the Country as part of their Corporate Social Responsibilities. This programme was aimed at ensuring that not only that those Nigerian researchers are provided with global standard research facilities, but it also curtails excessive pressure on foreign currency through ester codes and other sundry expenditures by the companies.  This programme started with the upgrading of laboratories of three knowledge institutions in 2012 and 2013 thus: Upgrading of Chemical Laboratory at Modibo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), Yola Adamawa State, upgrading of Chemical laboratory at

This explains why institutions of higher learning in the developed countries can boast of  four to five billion dollars revenue annually, emanating from the licensing of their inventions. University of Texas USA for instance, generates an average of One Billion dollars annually from royalties and licensing of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) accruing from its research efforts.

While the developed countries devote over four percent of their GDP to research and development activities, the developing countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Libya and Burkinafaso devote less than one percent of their GDP to research works. No wonder in the global University ranking, no University from the above mentioned countries with low research funding is among the top two hundred Universities in the world ranking. This is the index of weakness and invisibility of Universities from the developing countries.

Also in the developed countries, the academia has good linkage and constant interaction with the industry so much so that outputs from the Universities and Polytechnics are usually deployed into the industries to solve some industrial challenges. On the whole, there is a great disparity between the developed and developing countries research and development activities and their contribution towards national development owing to poor funding and lack of academia-linkage among others.

In this regard, the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has evolved a number of lofty collaborative programmes to ensure that the academia not only talks to the industry, but also evolve highly potent industrial-driven researches through the establishment of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in some Nigerian Universities, Polytechnics and Research Institutes. The four pilot IPTTOs were established by NOTAP in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2006 and since then, NOTAP has expanded the programme to more Nigerian Tertiary Institutions and Research Institution with the intension of covering all the publicly funded tertiary institution in the country.

In continuation of this drive, NOTAP has established a total of 54 IPTTOs in some selected Nigerian Universities, Polytechnics and Research Institutions to re-awaken the Nigerian researcher to imbibe the culture of demand-driven research as against conventional researches that are just for academic purposes.

This academia-industry linkage programme also midwife the Technology Storyboard programme initiated by NOTAP whereby companies develop pictorial step by step production processes to enhance learning and arouse the interest of Nigerian pupils at basic education level in science and technology.

Another Academic-Industry linkage programme evolved by NOTAP is the NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) scheme. In this programme, many companies partner with NOTAP on the project by setting aside funds for sponsoring of Nigerian best brains with passion to teach in Universities in PhD programme. Five pioneer beneficiaries commenced their programme in 2015 and after evaluation of the impact by the companies; they agreed to sponsor more ten beneficiaries culminating to fifteen beneficiaries since inception. One of the beneficiaries sponsored by Nestle Nigeria plc successfully concluded her programme late 2019 and delivered her research thesis to the sponsoring company through the Honourable Minister of State for Science and Technology I January 2020.

Raymond Onyenezi Ogbu (mnipr)

The actualization of developmental goals requires a pragmatic and meticulous approach of policy making either b government or private establishments such as the national policy on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). In order to fast-track the development of STI in Nigeria, the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), saddled with the responsibility of regulating the inflow of foreign technology into the Country as well as promotion of locally motivated technologies has evolved a number of strategies and programmes such as the establishment of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs). These are innovative learning and interaction centers established by NOTAP in Nigeria knowledge institutions to create awareness on the importance of building a robust Intellectual Property Culture within the Nigerian knowledge establishments.

Prior to NOTAP’s intervention via the establishment of IPTTOs in the Nigerian knowledge institutions, research undertakings were mainly for the purposes of paper publication for carrier progression but the situation has changed as the awareness on the importance of market-driven research has been created. So far, from 2006 when the initiative of establishing IPTTOs started till date, NOTAP has established Sixty Seven (67) IPTTOs across our knowledge institutions.

Commissioning of one of the IPTTOs established by NOTAP

Research results emanating from knowledge establishments end up on the shelves because there was no knowledge on translating the R&D results into goods and services. Research results in Nigeria were hitherto venerable as there was no form of protection but with the intervention and assistance of NOTAP, Nigerian researchers now patent their inventions for onward commercialization or licensing.  These are ways the developed countries like Japan, Germany, and China took in ensuring STI development in their Countries, making them the global suppliers of technologies.

NOTAP has assisted Nigerian inventors and innovators in patenting over four hundred (400) research results across various Nigerian knowledge establishments, including none formal sector participants/inventors and innovators. This was done through patent claim drafting in some cases, preliminary evaluation of their claims, submission of patent applications and payment for patents at the Patent and Design Registry.

Distribution of Patent Certificates by the former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation

Nigerian knowledge institutions are unarguably the home for research and no industry develops without research, hence for an effective development of STI, NOTAP is poised  to link academia with the industry through yet another programme tagged “NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship” (NITTF).This programme was initiated by NOTAP in collaboration with the industry to sponsor talented young Nigerians who have obtained Masters Degree and are desirous of undertaking PhD programmes in any Nigeria University. It is targeted at developing the critical skilled manpower to upscale the STI development in Nigeria.

The Office also in 2014, initiated a wonderful teaching aids known as Technology Story Board (TSB). The initiative is a step by step pictorial representation of product production processes from the raw materials to the finished products. The aim of this initiative was to teach the Nigerian Children the science of producing most of the products that are consumed or utilized in our homes and arouse their interest in taking up science related subjects early in life.

This project has been launched in all the geopolitical zone of the Country to benefit all secondary school pupils across the Country. The National launch took place in FCT, Abuja in 2015, then Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State for South-South zone, Lagos for South-West, Kano for North-West, Anambra for South-East, Katsina for North-East, Minna and  North-Central.

In realization of the fact that technology has been universally acknowledged not only as a vital tool for creation of wealth but also as a determining factor for global competitiveness, the STB initiative was a strategic means of popularizing Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) among younger Nigerians at the basic school level.

In the words of Dr. Umar Buba Bindir, a onetime Director General of NOTAP and the pioneer of the Technology Story Board during the national launching, “TSB is a carefully and consciously drafted programme by NOTAP in collaboration with some multinational companies to demystify technology through pictorial illustration of product manufacturing processes for easier understanding and appreciation by the Nigerian Children”.

The project is targeted at young Nigerians at secondary and primary school levels whose interest may be aroused by the product production pictures displayed on their school walls to appreciate science subjects. He noted that there is low patronage of science subjects by Nigerian students, adding that for any nation to be economically independent, its youths must holistically embrace Science and Technology.

The importance of the programme to the technological growth of the Country, adding that the philosophy behind the project is that when Children go through the technology story board for a number of years, there is a likelihood of them developing interest in sciences.  He added that the level of development of any nation is usually measured in terms of the level and scope of industrial production, commerce, health care, social services which are according to him, enhanced by the application of technology in the promotion and exploitation of services.

As knowledge based organization, NOTAP realized that over 90% of technologies that power Nigerian economies were foreign and for a country that is desirous of becoming a major player in global technology market, the situation was unacceptable, hence a programme called Universities Laboratory Upgrade as well as the establishment of Modern Science Laboratory for Secondary Schools were initiated. These initiatives were to ensure that Laboratories in selected Nigerian Universities and Secondary Schools were upgraded to international standard where comprehensive high impact research and laboratory analyses are conducted.

The ripple effect of these initiatives is that not only that critical laboratory analyses with globally acceptable results are achieved, science students in Nigerian secondary schools are also offered the opportunity of skill acquisition while in schools. Teaching and learning of Science subjects in Nigerian Schools have improved as a result of the upgrading of school laboratories as research has shown that the reason for abysmal performances in science subjects in Nigerian schools is largely due to poor laboratory equipments.

Raymond Onyenezi Ogbu (mnipr)