Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to the protection of intellectual property rights as the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, Daren Tang, prepares for a three-day working visit to the country beginning June 1, 2026.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made this known while receiving the Director of the WIPO Nigeria Office, Oluwatobilola Moody, and his delegation during a briefing on the agency’s activities and the upcoming visit of the WIPO chief.
During the visit, Tang is expected to officially inaugurate the WIPO Office in Abuja, the first and only WIPO office in Sub-Saharan Africa. The office serves as a regional hub and supports Nigeria’s efforts to modernise its intellectual property administration systems.
Speaking during the meeting, Odumegwu-Ojukwu described WIPO as a critical institution that supports innovators and creators across the world by ensuring their ideas are protected and commercialized effectively.
She stressed the need for increased awareness among Nigerians about intellectual property and the opportunities available through WIPO, especially for young people engaged in the country’s growing creative industry.
“You talked about Nigeria’s soft power in the creative industry; I expect that hosting the office here in Abuja means that there should be a whole lot of openings for young Nigerians,” the minister said.
She also called for expanded technical assistance programmes through the WIPO Nigeria Office to strengthen local capacity and support the commercialisation of Nigeria’s cultural heritage for economic development.
Nigeria has continued to benefit from WIPO’s support in digitising its trademarks and patents registry through the Industrial Property Automation System (IPAS), a platform aimed at reducing processing timelines and improving transparency in intellectual property administration.
Earlier, Moody informed the minister that the organisation has shifted toward a more inclusive intellectual property system that supports micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), women, and young innovators.
According to him, WIPO’s current leadership is also focused on ensuring that intellectual property systems adapt to emerging technologies such as Generative Artificial Intelligence while continuing to promote human creativity and innovation.
He assured that Nigerian creatives and innovators would continue to benefit from the organisation’s programmes and initiatives.
