The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has achieved 70 percent compliance from multinational companies operating in Nigeria on registering their technology transfer agreements, Director-General Obiageli Amadiobi said Friday.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja to announce the NOTAP Technology and Innovation Summit 2025, Amadiobi noted that some firms continue to withhold technical details, particularly non-physical backend systems used in production and data operations.
“We have started seeing results. At least 70 percent of the companies are now complying. But there are still a few hiding their technologies, and not all technologies are physical. Some are backend systems that we have uncovered through our auditors,” she said.
Technology transfer agreements legally allow local companies or institutions to use foreign firms’ technical knowledge, patents, trademarks, production methods, or software systems for commercial purposes in Nigeria.
Amadiobi highlighted that the agency, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria, has strengthened compliance by requiring banks to ensure no company remits funds for technology services without a notarized NOTAP certificate. “This collaboration has significantly improved compliance,” she added.
The NOTAP Technology and Innovation Summit will take place on November 6–7, 2025, in Lagos under the theme “Harnessing R&D and Innovation Potentials of Nigeria’s STI Ecosystem.” The two-day event will bring together government officials, academics, investors, development partners, and startups to discuss strategies for advancing Nigeria’s science, technology, and innovation ecosystem.
Key highlights will include speeches from ministers and industry experts, panels on technology transfer and artificial intelligence readiness, the unveiling of Project NOVA (Nigeria’s Outsourcing Value Acceleration), and workshops on intellectual property management, funding access, and talent development. Innovation exhibitions, hackathons, and startup pitch showcases are also planned.
Amadiobi criticised foreign firms that rely on imported technologies and research support abroad rather than establishing local laboratories. She cited the palm oil sector, noting that firms import seedlings from Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire despite Nigeria having local plantations and raw materials.
“It is very pathetic. These firms use our land and our raw materials but have no research labs here,” she said, adding that NOTAP would summon affected companies in the coming weeks to ensure they set up local laboratories, a move expected to save foreign exchange.
Amadiobi also reaffirmed NOTAP’s commitment to the Local Vendor Policy, which has achieved about 90 percent success in the ICT sector by enabling Nigerian developers to export locally built applications. She stressed that the summit will connect innovators with financial institutions and support programs for registered startups, while emphasizing that only original, impactful inventions would be recognized.
