The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) is concluding arrangement to enter into a tripartite agreement with the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) to strengthen product standardization, intellectual property rights protection, and commercialization of Nigerian innovations.

This partnership was disclosed at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting held between NOTAP, NASRDA, and SON under the SANKORE project at the SON Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, where the Directors General of the three agencies agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize their collaboration and working relationship. Speaking at the meeting, the Director General of NOTAP, Dr. Edith Obiageli Amadiobi, represented by the Director Corporate Planning department of NOTAP, Mr. Emeka Orji, said that the partnership aligns with NOTAP’s mandate to facilitate the development, domestication, and commercialization of indigenous technologies. 

“Many Nigerian innovations fail to reach the market due to weak linkages between standardization, IP protection, and commercialization. This tripartite agreement will bridge that gap by ensuring that research outputs that meet national standards, are properly protected, and are positioned for market entry,” Dr. Amadiobi stated.  Also speaking at the meeting, the Director General of SON, Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Okeke, represented by the Director Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Talatu Ethen noted that standardization is critical to consumer safety, global competitiveness, and export readiness. He assured that SON will provide technical support to innovators and researchers to ensure their product meets standard specifications for both local and global markets. Earlier in his remarks, the Director General of NASRDA, Dr. Matthew Olumide Adepoju, represented by the Special Assistant, Dr. Idris Jegea said that critical agencies must come together speedy technological development of the country. He said that the agency has a number of innovations that requires the impute of both NOTAP and SON to drive them to commercialization stage.