Nigeria Reirates Commitment to Intellectual Property Protection Ahead of WIPO DG Visit
Oru Leonard
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening intellectual property protection in Nigeria as the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Daren Tang, prepares for a three-day official visit to the country beginning June 1.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, stated this while receiving the Director of the WIPO Nigeria Office, Oluwatobilola Moody, and his delegation in Abuja ahead of the visit.
According to the minister, Nigeria remains committed to protecting intellectual property rights and leveraging the country’s growing creative industry for economic development. She noted that WIPO plays a critical role in supporting innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs by ensuring that their ideas are protected across borders and transformed into market opportunities.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu stressed the need for greater awareness among Nigerians about the role and importance of intellectual property, adding that the presence of the WIPO office in Abuja should create more opportunities for young Nigerians, particularly within the creative sector.
“You talked about Nigeria’s soft power in the creative industry; I expect that hosting the office here in Abuja means there should be a whole lot of openings for young Nigerians,” she said.
The minister also called for expanded technical assistance programmes through the WIPO Nigeria Office to strengthen local capacity and support the commercialization of Nigeria’s cultural heritage for economic growth.
Nigeria currently hosts the first and only WIPO office in Sub-Saharan Africa, which serves as a regional resource centre for intellectual property development. The organisation has also supported Nigeria in modernising its intellectual property administration systems, particularly through the digitalisation of trademarks and patent registries using the Industrial Property Automation System (IPAS), aimed at improving transparency and reducing processing timelines.
Speaking during the briefing, Moody disclosed that the WIPO Director General would officially inaugurate the agency’s Abuja office during the visit.
He explained that WIPO has increasingly focused on making intellectual property more accessible to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), women, and young innovators, while also adapting global IP systems to emerging technologies such as Generative Artificial Intelligence.
Moody assured that Nigerian creatives and innovators would continue to benefit from WIPO’s programmes and initiatives aimed at promoting innovation and supporting human creativity.
