The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion is set to partner Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment’s Trademark Registry towards accelerating patents registration for researchers.
NOTAP’s Director General, Dr. Danazumi Ibrahim, stated this while receiving the Registrar of Trademark Registry, Shafiu Yauri, on Monday.
Ibrahim explained that the pattern of consumption of goods and services in Nigeria was import-dependent with a negative effect on the nation’s foreign reserve and that the only solution was to reduce consumption of foreign items.
According to him, for the economy to improve at a sustainable level, the nation’s research and development must translate into products and services.
Noting that the organisation was focused on assisting researchers to patent their technologies through collaboration with the registry, Ibrahim claimed NOTAP’s intervention in the area of patent promotion had yielded positive results with the attendant increase in patents secured by researchers over the years.
“There has been an increase in patents from six in 2015 to 16 in 2016 and from 50 in 2017 to 55 in 2018 and 57 in 2019. NOTAP will like to see products being developed by local researchers who will improve them for export,” he said.
Speaking on the visit, Yauri said it was aimed at seeking partnership with NOTAP towards large-scale commercialisation of research products
“We do not only sensitise and educate but establish a relationship that will make it easy for scientists and researchers to protect their trademarks in the trademark registry,” he said.
