The Federal Government and the World Intellectual Property Organisation, WIPO, have agreed to collaborate on turning Nigeria’s intellectual property into tangible financial assets.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha in a post on X, said the partnership targets commercialisation of research from Nigerian universities and support for the creative economy through stronger technical cooperation, institutional backing, and capacity-building.
Nkwocha disclosed this after a meeting between Vice President Kashim Shettima, WIPO Director-General Daren Tang, and top government officials at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Shettima said Nigeria’s ambition is to build “an intellectual property system that serves the inventor and the investor, the researcher and the entrepreneur, the artiste and the industrialist, the farmer and the software engineer”.
He welcomed WIPO’s decision to open its first office in Abuja – the first in Sub-Saharan Africa and one of only seven worldwide.
He also recalled that the Federal Executive Council approved the National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy in November 2025 to provide Nigeria’s first comprehensive framework for IP development, protection, and commercialisation.
The Vice President said the President Tinubu administration is building an economy where innovation is protected, disputes are resolved with confidence, and intellectual assets can be converted into wealth.
Shettima mandated the Ministers of Justice, Industry, Trade and Investment, and Arts, Culture and Creative Economy to work out a roadmap for engagement with WIPO.
Responding, Tang said the new Abuja office and the launch of the National IP Strategy reflect WIPO’s commitment to Nigeria’s growth.
He noted that over 3,000 Nigerian startups, including seven unicorns, are already attracting significant capital, showing that IP is increasingly driven by emerging economies.
Also speaking, Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) said stronger WIPO collaboration will enhance technology transfer and position Nigeria as Africa’s leading IP hub.
On his part, Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, assured the delegation of her ministry’s full partnership, while Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said the WIPO office reaffirms Tinubu’s commitment to IP policy, trade, investment, and the creative sector.
FG, WIPO Agree to Commercialise Nigeria’s Intellectual Property
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