Stakeholders at the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) Lagos Summit have called for increased investment in indigenous technology, research commercialisation and innovation, resolving to produce at least one globally competitive Nigerian technology for export by 2027.
The first day of the summit, themed around transforming research into wealth, ended with participants emphasising that Nigeria must move from consuming imported technologies to developing, commercialising and exporting homegrown innovations.
The summit attracted 383 participants, comprising 248 males and 135 females, who participated in seven hours of discussions, presentations and breakout sessions focused on intellectual property, research and development (R&D), financing and skills development.
Discussions were organised into four tracks covering researchers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), inventors, patent holders, telecommunications operators, enterprise IT and the defence sector.
Stakeholders identified inadequate resea
rch funding and the gap between laboratory discoveries and market-ready products as major challenges to Nigeria's technological advancement. They called for stronger collaboration between government, universities, manufacturers, investors and research institutions.
The summit also highlighted the need for blended financing through the Bank of Industry (BOI), combining grants, equity and concessionary loans to support innovations from early research stages to commercial production.
Participants further discussed proposed measures to encourage foreign manufacturers to invest in local raw-material processing and industry-led research and development, alongside stronger intellectual property protection and the promotion of indigenous software development.
The major highlights of the occasion include the presentation of patent certificates to Nigerian Innovators, exhibition of i-Create Club's smart mobility stick designed to assist visually impaired persons and Zoracom's indigenous technology for monitoring telecommunications connectivity devices. Zoracom was reported to have developed a platform monitoring more than 85 per cent of Nigeria's telecom connectivity devices.
The Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (FMIST) also announced the Energise Commercialisation initiative, aimed at helping research discoveries overcome the barriers that often prevent them from reaching the marketplace.
Other resolutions included establishing sector-specific innovation hubs, promoting industry-based training for students before graduation, encouraging patent holders to form joint companies for technology licensing, and mobilising diaspora networks to support indigenous innovation.
The summit concluded with four major priorities: strengthening technology regulation and intellectual property protection; improving access to research and development financing; integrating industry experience into education and skills development; and promoting the commercialisation and export of Nigerian technologies.
Participants stressed that Nigeria must translate its abundant human talent and research capacity into commercially viable products that can compete internationally.
They maintained that the country's technological future depends on bridging the gap between research and the marketplace, reiterating the summit's central message: “Knowledge without commercialisation is poverty in disguise.”
Report By Fredrick Njoku