The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, have agreed to collaborate on promoting research commercialisation, indigenous innovation and technology awareness as part of efforts to boost Nigeria’s revenue and industrial growth.
As part of the initiative, NOTAP will host a National Technology and Innovation Summit in Lagos on October 7 and 8, 2026, where researchers will be connected with investors, manufacturers and financial institutions to turn research findings into marketable products.
The Director-General of NOTAP, Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, disclosed this on Monday while receiving the leadership of the NUJ FCT Council during a courtesy visit to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
She said the summit would bring together innovators, researchers, manufacturers, financial institutions, investors and the Bank of Industry to facilitate the commercialisation of research outputs.
According to her, the event will create opportunities for researchers to secure funding through strategic matchmaking with investors and industry players, allowing innovations developed in Nigerian institutions to reach the market and contribute to economic growth.
Amadiobi said the initiative supports NOTAP’s mandate to promote technology acquisition, encourage indigenous innovation and convert research findings into commercially viable products and services capable of creating jobs, improving competitiveness and increasing national revenue.
She described journalists as key partners in driving public understanding of science, technology and innovation, adding that better reporting would support Nigeria’s technological development.
The NOTAP boss said one of the agency’s core responsibilities is adapting foreign technologies to meet Nigeria’s development needs by building local expertise that can understand and improve imported technologies.
She said Nigeria had long served as a dumping ground for foreign technologies because of weak local capacity but added that NOTAP’s Local Vendor Policy had changed the trend, particularly in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.
According to her, the policy requires Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to invest in training Nigerians, leading to the emergence of indigenous software developers and ICT professionals making significant contributions within and outside the country.
Amadiobi said the agency intends to replicate those gains across manufacturing, engineering and other strategic sectors through technology transfer, skills development and increased local participation.
She also disclosed that NOTAP is establishing a technology and innovation hub where emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), will be demonstrated to make learning more practical and accessible.
The Director-General added that the agency is partnering with Huawei, MTN and Airtel to strengthen staff capacity and improve Nigeria’s ability to evaluate imported technologies.
On youth development, she unveiled the National Outsourcing Value Acceleration (NOVA) Programme, which will equip young Nigerians with industry-relevant skills through simulation-based training before exposing them to practical field experience in sectors such as maritime, engineering and manufacturing.
She said the programme would help bridge Nigeria’s skills gap while preparing young Nigerians for global employment opportunities.
Amadiobi further revealed that several state governments, including Niger State, have expressed interest in partnering with NOTAP to establish similar innovation centres.
Earlier, the Chairman of the NUJ FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike, described NOTAP as a strategic institution driving Nigeria’s technological development through technology acquisition, technology transfer, intellectual property protection and the promotion of indigenous innovation.
“I believe the future of Nigeria depends on strong partnerships between institutions that inform, innovate and inspire. NOTAP stands at the very heart of Nigeria’s technological progress. Your work is not only important but strategic,” she said.
Ike said she studied the agency’s activities before the visit and was impressed by its contribution to Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.
“You are helping to shape a Nigeria that does not merely consume ideas but creates them. As journalists, we recognise that technology and communication are inseparable. The media has a responsibility not only to report innovation but to explain it, amplify it and connect it with the people,” she added.
She said the visit was aimed at building a partnership between the Council and NOTAP in public enlightenment, innovation advocacy, capacity building and national development.
According to her, the media can help increase public understanding of technology policies while promoting indigenous innovations and publicising NOTAP’s programmes.
Ike also proposed regular training for journalists covering science, technology and innovation to improve reporting on intellectual property, technology transfer, research commercialisation and innovation policies.
She further advocated joint public awareness campaigns on intellectual property rights, patents and technology transfer targeted at inventors, researchers, startups and technology developers.
