By Admin
The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has identified stronger partnerships across government, industry, and private investors and the launch of massive intellectual property awareness campaigns across the country as crucial elements to fix infrastructure deficits facing the country.
Its Director-General/CEO, Dr. Barr. Lady O. Amadiobi, who spoke during the National Engineering Science and Technology Essay Competition (NESTEC) awards ceremony organized by the Blue Apple Educational Foundation (BAEF), stressed the need for the commercialization of local innovations, stressing it is the ultimate pathway to national development.
Represented by Director of Technology Innovation and Commercialization at NOTAP, Mrs. Ada Mokolo Oladunke, she said the nation should transform raw knowledge into economic wealth for sustainable development adding that the first step to securing whatever idea one has to be patented.
The NESTEC, an annual event, marked an evolutionary shift at its sixth annual award ceremony on June 20, 2026. The competition transitioned from a purely theoretical essay contest into a rigorous, hands-on launchpad for prototype development and commercialization.
Held under the theme: “Commercialisation of Innovative Ideas; the Pathway to National Development,” the forum brought together top industry professionals, academic heavyweights, and student innovators determined to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial reality.
President of BAEF, Akan Michael, in his opening address welcomed attendees and laid out the foundation’s bold new vision. While NESTEC’s core mission remained anchored in unlocking potential and expanding STEM opportunities for Nigerian youth, the approach has completely transformed.
“For the past five editions, we asked our students to write down their ideas, and they did so brilliantly. For this sixth edition, we are taking a giant leap forward. We are moving from essay writing to prototype development and commercialization. We want our students to leave here not just with certificates, but with blueprints for viable businesses,” he said.
Under this revamped framework, project finalists received hands-on guidance regarding prototype development, intellectual property (IP) rights, and technology transfer. In another first, the gates were thrown open beyond core engineering to include science and medical students.
Also speaking on a paper titled: “Beware of Digital Colonization and the Valley of Death“, Prof. Emmanuel M. Eronu, from the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Innovative Technology at the University of Abuja, tackled the notorious “Valley of Death”—the fatal gap where brilliant academic prototypes perish before ever securing market financing.
Prof. Eronu outlined four structural deficits crippling Nigerian research and development (R&D) to include complete lack of bridge financing between research grants and commercial investment; severe shortage of business and entrepreneurial skills among technical researchers; developing tech without validating real customer demand; and weak organizational culture regarding Intellectual Property protection.
To combat this, he introduced planks survival framework, urging innovators to validate real problems first, build lean using AI tools, protect their ideas early, and construct hybrid teams that mix technical brilliance with business savvy.
The ceremony featured presentations from guest speakers who challenged the traditional academic mindset. Speaking in same manner with paper title: Build for People, Not for the Lab, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rabiu Aliyu Abdulkadir, a competition assessor from Shandong Xiehe University, China, delivered reality check on the innovation ecosystem.
The core lesson, he said: “Start with problems, not technology—people buy solutions, not tech.” He noted that successful innovation must be demand-driven.
He cautioned students against blindly outsourcing their critical thinking to AI, warning against “digital colonization.” Because most AI models are trained on foreign data, they often fail to grasp the nuanced realities of Nigerian agriculture, healthcare, and infrastructure. “Nigeria needs creators, not just consumers,” he added.
The climax of the ceremony brought a dramatic ending as only seven participants were finally confirmed as having met the eligibility requirement to participate. The seven students are Wisdom Jonathan, Deborah Okon Edet, Enekeme Favour Isaac, Queendaline Michael Eka, Ogbowu Ogechi Miracle, Umoh Destiny Moses and Egbo Victor Chiebuka.
These students in line with the culture of the organizer of the event would be considered NESTEC AMBASSADORS.
By this, all participants whose studentship was not confirmed would have their papers de-registered from BAE Foundation’s library and dropped from publication on the blog.
BAEF guidelines require that only persons whose studentship can be proven and valid on the date of the event are eligible to participate
Akan commended the candidates and their supervisors for their effort, reiterating that the projects excelled where it mattered most: originality and commercial potential.
In recognition of the hard work and dedication of participants, consolation prizes were given to those who met the studentship requirement and confirmed by their supervisors.
Bringing the event to a formal close, Prof. Tolulope Akinbulire of University of Lagos praised the incredibly high commitment. He urged the students not to be discouraged by strict eligibility guardrails, but to take the invaluable commercial lessons learned and return stronger for the upcoming NESTEC 7.0 edition.
The underlying message of NESTEC 6.0 was loud and clear: Nigeria’s economic future will no longer be built by passive consumers of technology, but by courageous problem-solvers who know how to protect, build, and sell their solutions.
