SERVICOM CEO commends NOTAP on IPR, as Stakeholders advocate tax holiday for indigenous software developers
Our Reporter
The National Coordinator of SERVICOM, Mrs. Nnenna Akajimeli has said that the creation of awareness on the important roles IPR plays on National development and the establishment of Intellectual Property and technology transfer Offices by NOTAP were capable of leapfrogging the socio-economic development of the country and should be commended.
This is coming as stakeholders in software development have appealed to government to grant tax holiday to the Nigerian software developing firms for a rapid development of the sector to increase their global competiveness.
Akajimeli, SERVICOM boss commended NOTAP on IPR during a recent courtesy visit to NOTAP’s national secretariat in Wuse 2 Abuja where she further said that NOTAP was a very strategic government agency that has shown commitment in ensuring rapid development of indigenous technology for effective service delivery to all Nigeria, adding that SERVICOM, being an establishment that ensures quality service delivery in the country, is desirous of working closely with NOTAP.
According to a statement signed by Raymond Onyenezi Ogbu, Assistant Chief Public Relations and Protocols Officer of NOTAP, the SERVICOM boss stated that, “Our visit to NOTAP today is to explore areas of collaboration to ensure a rapid technological development of the country, knowing that without technology, no country shall fully attain its potentials”.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director General of NOTAP, Dr. Dan Azumi Mohammed Ibrahim said the major function of NOTAP was the registration of Technology Transfer Agreement as well as to facilitate the development of indigenous technologies amongst others.
He said as a regulatory agency, NOTAP received a number of applications for registration of technology transfer agreement running into millions of US dollars from Nigerian entrepreneurs for importation of foreign technology and for a country that wants to develop Nigeria needs to grow her own technology to avoid over dependence on foreign technology.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in software development solicited government’s intervention on tax matters at a two-day tripartite collaborative roundtable workshop held in Radisson Hotels, Isaac John Street Ikeja, Lagos, recently.
At the workshop, which was organized by NOTAP in collaboration with CWG and the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), discussions were held on developing indigenous software capacity to reduce the level of foreign software consumption with its attendant effect of draining the Nigerian economy and ultimately boost the local capacity in line with the local content policy of the Federal Government.
The group said software development was a very expensive venture and without good government policies and enabling business environment to encourage the local software companies, their foreign counterparts will continue to flood the market with software made for their peculiar environment.
Speaking at the event, the Director General of NOTAP, Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim said in the course of registration of Technology Transfer Agreement which is the main function of his agency, he noticed that over 90% of the technology that powers Nigeria economy were foreign and for a country to be recognized as a global technology player, it must develop and deploy her indigenous technology.
In his remarks, the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ali Pantami who was represented by Mr. Christopher Okeke, a Director in the agency said indigenous software development was very crucial to the development of the country considering to enormous amount of money the country expends on importation of foreign software.
Some of the indigenous software companies that were represented at the event were Computer Ware House Group (CWG), CC Hub Nigeria, Finance Applications Systems limited, Fin Trak software, Inlaks Nigeria limited, Traisoft Technologies limited etc.
