The Federal Government has inaugurated two high-level committees to kick-start the implementation of Nigeria’s National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy, a move aimed at strengthening innovation, boosting trade competitiveness, and supporting economic diversification.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, inaugurated the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee and the Inter-Agency Coordination Group in Abuja, marking the transition of the policy from approval to execution. The National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy was formally unveiled in December 2025 after securing Federal Executive Council approval and broad stakeholder endorsement.
Oduwole said the implementation phase is expected to deliver measurable benefits to innovators, businesses, farmers, researchers, and creators across the country. She explained that the policy was developed following a five-year audit of Nigeria’s intellectual property ecosystem, involving government institutions, academia, industry players, and the creative sector.
According to her, the real test of the policy lies in effective institutional reforms and strong coordination among public institutions. She noted that implementation will focus on updating intellectual property laws and regulations, modernising institutions through automated registration systems, strengthening technical capacity, and improving commercialisation and technology transfer frameworks to better support MSMEs and startups. She added that targeted interventions will also be directed at the creative economy, agriculture, and nationwide enforcement efforts, while awareness creation, capacity building, and sustainable financing remain critical to achieving nationwide impact.
Oduwole explained that the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee will provide policy oversight, ensure strategic alignment, and resolve cross-ministerial challenges, while the Inter-Agency Coordination Group will be responsible for technical execution, tracking milestones, and integrating the policy into agency work plans. She described the policy as a national economic reform designed to turn Nigerian ideas into enterprises and improve the country’s global competitiveness.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, said the policy provides a unified national framework for transforming creativity, innovation and indigenous knowledge into protected and commercially valuable assets capable of driving job creation and economic diversification. He stressed that successful implementation would require reforms across laws, institutions, registration systems, commercialisation processes, enforcement mechanisms, and public awareness efforts.
Represented by the Solicitor-General of the Federation, Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba, Fagbemi warned that policy declarations alone are not enough, adding that strong coordination and disciplined technical mechanisms are needed to translate commitments into practical outcomes. He identified priority areas such as reviewing intellectual property laws, ratifying relevant treaties, and establishing a Nigerian Intellectual Property Commission.
Stakeholders welcomed the inauguration as a critical step toward unlocking the economic value of intellectual property. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment described the move as timely, noting that globally, strong IP ecosystems are used to support industrialisation, enhance trade competitiveness, attract investment, and reward innovation. He urged continued collaboration among ministries and agencies to ensure effective delivery.
The Director-General of the Nigeria Copyright Commission, speaking on behalf of the committees, pledged transparent and accountable implementation and thanked the Federal Government for the confidence placed in the appointed members.
The policy forms part of a broader reform push approved by the Federal Executive Council in late 2025, when three major policies were endorsed to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a digital and knowledge-based economy. Developed with technical support from the World Intellectual Property Organization and inputs from more than 200 stakeholders, the National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy is Nigeria’s first unified framework for protecting and commercialising intellectual property, with implications for startups, MSMEs, exporters and the creative economy.
