Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora has advocated a ban on any imported items that can be produced locally in Nigeria as part of measures to preserve local inventions.
Mamora voiced sadness to State House correspondents at the 71st Ministerial Media Briefing about underutilised research works and technologies merely gathering dust in various agencies due to a lack of investors.
More fundamentally, he emphasised the difficulty of preserving innovators’ intellectual property while also bringing research outputs to market. As a result, he bolstered parliamentarians’ and the government’s commitment to enact legislation to compel the protection of inventions before releasing them to the market.
Admitting to the slow pace of the ministry, Mamora noted that the ministry would continue to engage with the relevant stakeholders, as it looks to strengthen synergies between research institutions and the market through investors.