The Nigerian government and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) have agreed to actively deepen collaboration to turn the nation’s intellectual property into tangible financial assets.
The target is to commercialise research from Nigerian universities and support the creative economy through stronger technical cooperation, deeper institutional support, and expanded capacity-building, among others.
This was the outcome of a meeting between the Vice President and a delegation from WIPO led by its Director-General, Mr. Daren Tang, and top Nigerian government officials at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Vice President drew the WIPO delegation’s attention to Nigeria’s unmistakable ambition, which he said ‘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 the decision by WIPO to open its first office in Abuja, the first in Sub-Saharan Africa and one of only seven worldwide.
The VP recalled that the Federal Executive Council had in November 2025 approved the National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy ‘to provide Nigeria with its first comprehensive framework for the development, protection, promotion, management, and commercialisation of intellectual property.’
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VP Shettima said that there couldn’t have been a better time to take a deeper view of a nation whose creative and innovative energies are already shaping Africa and speaking to the world.
“As we deepen our collaboration with WIPO, we do so with gratitude and with great expectation. We look forward to stronger technical cooperation, deeper institutional support, expanded capacity-building, and practical pathways for the commercialisation of Nigerian creativity and research. We believe that the future belongs to nations that understand the dignity of the mind and the economy of ideas,” he explained.
The Vice President noted that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is building an economy where investors will feel satisfied that innovation is protected, disputes are resolved with confidence, and intellectual assets can be converted into wealth.
VP Shettima also noted that with the right innovation, education and skills enhancement, Nigeria would make Africa great, even as he reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to innovation diplomacy and to WIPO’s mission to create a balanced and international ideal system.
The Director-General of WIPO, Mr. Tang noted that he was visiting Nigeria for the first time, assuring that WIPO remains committed to being part of Nigeria’s growth and prosperity.
He stressed that his visit was based on two milestones: the opening of the first WIPO office in Abuja—the first in Sub-Saharan Africa and one of only seven worldwide—and the launch of the National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy (NIPPS) by the Tinubu administration.
Mr Tang said the inaugurated WIPO office demonstrates the importance the international body places on Nigeria, adding that Nigerian entrepreneurs, innovators, and creators are shaping the world and serving as role models in the IP revolution across the continent.
He congratulated the Tinubu administration on the National IP Strategy, expressing optimism that the nation’s IP ecosystem will continue to serve as a platform for economic empowerment and job creation.
Nigeria’s Attorney General, Lateef Fagbemi said “the visit of the delegation reflects the growing partnership between Nigeria and WIPO, aimed at strengthening the country’s intellectual property ecosystem.”
He said stronger collaboration between WIPO and Nigeria would enhance technology transfer and position the country as a leading intellectual property hub in Africa.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said “the ministry has set several targets aimed at creating jobs and assured the delegation of its full partnership.”
Providing details of the visit, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, said earlier bilateral meetings with relevant ministries, which resulted in the inauguration of a WIPO office, among other outcomes, reaffirm the commitment of the Tinubu administration to intellectual property policy, trade and investment, and the creative sectors.
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