The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has presented academic fellowship awards to ten young Nigerians under the NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) Scheme second batch beneficiaries.

Performing the ceremony held at the Reiz Continental Hotel Abuja, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and Chairperson NOTAP Governing board, Dr. Mrs. Amina Shamaki said that as a regulator of technology transfer from foreign countries into Nigeria, NOTAP observed that there are many inadequacies and disconnect between industries and the National Innovation System which resulted in the absence of value creation and inability to acquire and adapt imported technologies beneficial to the national economy.

Dr. Shamaki who was represented by the acting Director Technology Acquisition and Assessment Mr. F. N Anpe said in order to address the weaknesses and huge gaps in the process of acquiring and adapting imported technologies into Nigeria, NOTAP came up with the NOTAP-Industry partnership initiative with a number of schemes in 2009.

She added that the NITTF is one of the schemes and it is aimed at providing an efficient process for the acquisition and domestication of foreign technology stressing that the scheme will serve as a platform through which industries will voluntarily support the process of building the needed critical mass of highly skilled knowledge workers and the development of specialized personnel, strategic managerial skills and provision of key technology acquisition process which are industrial Research and Development (R&D) capacities and capabilities.

The Permanent Secretary commended the companies who have redeemed their pledges and appeal to those who are yet to key in to the scheme to do so adding that the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology is fully in support of the NOTAP-Industry partnership initiative and will follow closely its implementation.

In his remarks, the Director General NOTAP Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim said the scheme was borne out of the urgent need to bridge the wide gap between research and industry.

He said the scheme is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) platform designed to create indigenous critical technological competencies of elite applied knowledge workers in Nigeria through special PhD programmes tenable in Nigerian Universities.

The support he added is for a maximum period of four years to be implemented by NOTAP and Industry.

Dr. Ibrahim revealed that the fellowship from the industries will support training of selected candidates to acquire PhD with industrial content in Nigerian Universities and ultimately become lecturers in tertiary institutions. The spectrum of the fellowship he stressed included funds and access to laboratories and home and abroad.

He added that one of the NOTAP Industry initiatives is the partnership with PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc. and Indorama Plc. wherein the two companies donated some chemical analysis equipment to the University of Calabar, Modibbo Adama University of Technology Yola, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology Zaria and Nigerian Institute for Laboratory Science Technology Ibadan as part of the upgrade of chemical laboratories of these institutions which have all been commissioned between the years 2011 to 2017.

He expressed appreciation to the sponsoring companies for their kind gesture under the NITTF scheme which he noted will help Nigeria leapfrog into the technologically advanced nations of the world.

The representative of the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of science and Technology Mr. Anpe, the Director General Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi Lagos, Prof. Gloria Elemo, Vice-Chancellor Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi Prof. Saminu Ibrahim, DG Nigerian Institute of Leather Science Technology (NILST) Zaria Dr. E. N Oparah and DG National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM) Ibadan all took turns to make presentation to the award recipients.

The ten Nigerians who benefitted from the fellowship were Dr. O.O Folashade (Microbiology Universty of Lagos being sponsored by CAP Plc, H. A Modu-Kagu (Department of Animal Science University of Maiduguri) sponsored Promassidor Nigeria Plc, Akinrinde Ibukunoluwa Motunrayo (Department of Food Technology of University of Ibadan) sponsored by Dufil Prima Foods Ltd, Umar A. Mustapha (Department of Animal Science ATBU Bauchi) sponsored by Friestland Campina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, and Fatoki Jimoh Gbenga (Department of Agricultural & Environmental Engineering University of Ibadan) sponsored by PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc.

Others include, M. A Dikko (Department of Chemical Engineering ABU Zaria) sponsored by Procter & Gamble, Ohio Oyinyechi Vivian (Department of Physical Chemistry University of Ibadan) sponsored by Procter & Gamble, Chalbyen John Magaji (Department of Agricultural Engineering University of Agriculture Makurdi) sponsored by Nigeria Breweries Plc, Desmond Nwazie (Department of Chemical Engineering University of Lagos sponsored by Nigeria Breweries Plc and A.A Ahmed (Department of Chemical Engineering ABU Zaria) sponsored by PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc.

Goodwill messages were presented at the occasion by representatives of the sponsoring companies, research institutes and the academia.

The NITTF grants fellowship awards and support to qualified Nigerians interested in research based PHD programmes in all areas of technology needs and priority areas of industry. The first batch of the NITTF fellowship was awarded to 5 Nigerians in 2017 and the second batch recently awarded to 10 Nigerians.