Dare Babalola
The Federal Government and the World Intellectual Property Organization have agreed to deepen collaboration aimed at transforming Nigeria’s intellectual property assets into tangible economic value through the commercialisation of research, innovation and creative works.
The agreement was reached on Monday during a meeting between Vice President Kashim Shettima, a delegation of WIPO led by Director-General Daren Tang, and senior government officials at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Speaking during the meeting, Shettima said Nigeria’s ambition is to build an intellectual property system that benefits inventors, investors, researchers, entrepreneurs, artists and innovators across different sectors of the economy.
He also welcomed WIPO’s decision to establish an office in Abuja, describing it as the organisation’s first office in sub-Saharan Africa and one of only seven such offices globally.
According to the Vice President, the partnership aligns with the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to create an economy where innovation is protected and intellectual assets can be converted into wealth.
“The future belongs to nations that understand the dignity of the mind and the economy of ideas,” Shettima said, noting that stronger technical cooperation, institutional support, capacity-building and practical pathways for commercialising Nigerian creativity and research would be critical to achieving the country’s economic goals.
He recalled that the Federal Executive Council approved the National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy in November 2025 to provide a comprehensive framework for the protection, management, promotion and commercialisation of intellectual property in Nigeria.
The Vice President said the Renewed Hope Agenda recognises that economic value is increasingly driven by ideas, technology, innovation, culture, brands and knowledge, adding that countries that succeed in protecting and scaling intellectual assets will lead the global economy in the coming decades.
Shettima directed the ministries responsible for justice, industry, trade and investment, and culture and creative economy to develop a roadmap for deeper engagement with WIPO.
In his remarks, WIPO Director-General Tang said the organisation remains committed to supporting Nigeria’s economic growth and innovation ecosystem.
He identified the opening of the Abuja office and the launch of Nigeria’s National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy as two significant milestones underpinning the organisation’s engagement with the country.
Tang said the new office reflects the importance WIPO attaches to Nigeria, noting that Nigerian innovators, entrepreneurs and creators are increasingly shaping global conversations around intellectual property.
He commended the Tinubu administration for developing a national intellectual property strategy, expressing confidence that the framework would strengthen economic empowerment and job creation.
According to him, more than 3,000 Nigerian startups, including seven unicorns, are already attracting substantial investment, demonstrating the growing role of intellectual property in emerging economies.
Earlier, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, said the visit underscored the growing partnership between Nigeria and WIPO in strengthening the country’s intellectual property ecosystem.
He noted that a robust legal and institutional framework is essential to sustaining innovation, particularly among startups, technology-driven businesses and creators.
Also speaking, the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, pledged the ministry’s full support for the partnership, while Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said recent engagements leading to the inauguration of the WIPO office reaffirm the government’s commitment to intellectual property, trade, investment and the creative economy.
