The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting grassroots innovators and independent inventors across Nigeria, beyond the confines of academia.
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NOTAP, Obiageli Amadiobi, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja, stating that the agency operates several initiatives designed to protect and promote indigenous intellectual property (IP), including inventions developed outside formal research institutions.
Amadiobi said one of the flagship initiatives is Project NOVA — NOTAP Value Acceleration — under which the agency establishes local innovation hubs nationwide to identify and evaluate grassroots inventions for commercial viability.
“Under Project NOVA, our officials set up local hubs across the country where indigenous inventions are assessed for their scalability and potential adoption,” she said. “Where viable, such innovations can be outsourced or integrated into large-scale industries, including the telecommunications sector.”
She stressed that while universities and research institutions remain critical to national development, innovation in Nigeria is not limited to academic laboratories.
“A true intellectual revolution must extend to the streets, markets and workshops,” she noted. “Innovation thrives in the minds of independent entrepreneurs and local artisans who may be far removed from formal research systems.”
According to the DG, NOTAP has taken deliberate steps to remove financial barriers that often hinder independent inventors from securing legal protection for their ideas. The agency funds patent applications for non-academic innovators to ensure creativity is not stifled by cost constraints.
She also highlighted the Inventors and Innovators Forum as another key platform through which grassroots inventors are identified and supported.
“Through the Forum, NOTAP has built a dedicated bridge for independent, street-smart innovators to access the same high-level legal protection available to university researchers,” she said.
Amadiobi added that the platform enables individual inventors to collaborate, receive guidance on IP technicalities, and safeguard their innovations from theft or neglect.
She explained that all submissions from independent innovators are subjected to the same rigorous evaluation standards applied to institutional research, through IP Certified Evaluators, to ensure compliance with global best practices.
By strengthening this ecosystem, the DG said NOTAP aims to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on foreign technologies through the patenting and commercialization of homegrown solutions.
“You do not need a PhD to become a patent holder,” she said, citing examples ranging from young tech developers in Lagos innovation hubs to mechanical inventors operating in workshops in Aba.
She maintained that the agency’s inclusive approach is designed to ensure that no brilliant Nigerian idea is lost due to a lack of access or institutional affiliation.
