FG, WIPO Partner To Turn Nigeria’s Intellectual Property Into Wealth

The Federal Government and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) have agreed to deepen collaboration aimed at turning Nigeria’s intellectual property into tangible financial assets.

The partnership is expected to support the commercialisation of research from Nigerian universities, strengthen the creative economy, improve technical cooperation and expand capacity-building across key sectors.

The agreement formed part of the outcome of a meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, between Vice President Kashim Shettima, a WIPO delegation led by its Director-General, Daren Tang, and top Nigerian government officials.

Shettima said Nigeria’s ambition was to build an intellectual property system that protects creativity, rewards innovation and helps citizens convert ideas into economic value.

Naija News reports that according to a statement issued on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said the future belongs to countries that understand the value of knowledge and ideas.

The Vice President told the WIPO delegation that Nigeria was determined to create an intellectual property framework that serves different categories of innovators and investors.

He said the country wanted a system that would support inventors, researchers, entrepreneurs, artists, farmers, software engineers and industrialists.

Shettima said Nigeria’s goal was 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 also welcomed WIPO’s decision to open an office in Abuja, describing it as a major development for Nigeria and the region.

The Abuja office is WIPO’s first office in Sub-Saharan Africa and one of only seven around the world.

Shettima recalled that the Federal Executive Council, in November 2025, approved the National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy to give Nigeria its first comprehensive framework for developing, protecting, promoting, managing and commercialising intellectual property.

He said the policy would help the country move ideas from research institutions, creative spaces and innovation hubs into the marketplace.

The Vice President said, “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 added that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was working to build an economy where innovation is protected, disputes are resolved with confidence and intellectual assets can be converted into wealth.

Shettima said the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu was focused on unlocking productivity, expanding economic opportunities, attracting investment, creating jobs and positioning Nigeria for long-term prosperity.

He noted that ideas, technology, innovation, data, brands, culture and knowledge had become major drivers of modern economies.

The Vice President said, “The foresight of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, through the Renewed Hope Agenda, is anchored in unlocking productivity, expanding economic opportunity, attracting investment, creating jobs, and positioning Nigeria for long-term prosperity.

“At the heart of this agenda is a clear recognition that value in today’s economy is increasingly created through ideas, technology, innovation, data, brands, culture, and knowledge. The countries that will lead this century are those able to create, protect, commercialise, and scale intellectual assets.”

Shettima added that with the right innovation, education and skills development, Nigeria could play a major role in making Africa stronger.

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to innovation diplomacy and WIPO’s mission to promote a balanced international intellectual property system.

The Vice President directed the Ministers of Justice, Industry, Trade and Investment, and Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy to develop a roadmap for deeper engagement with WIPO.

He said the roadmap should guide Nigeria’s partnership with the global body and ensure that the country benefits fully from WIPO’s technical support, institutional experience and capacity-building programmes.

Shettima also pledged that Nigeria would strengthen its relationship with WIPO in order to expand opportunities for innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs and creative industry players.

WIPO Pledges Support For Nigeria

Speaking at the meeting, WIPO Director-General, Daren Tang, said his visit to Nigeria was his first and reflected the organisation’s commitment to the country’s growth and prosperity.

Tang said the visit was built around two major milestones: the opening of WIPO’s Abuja office and the launch of Nigeria’s National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy by the Tinubu administration.

He said the establishment of the office showed the importance WIPO attached to Nigeria.

According to him, Nigerian entrepreneurs, innovators and creators are already shaping the world and serving as role models in the intellectual property revolution across Africa.

Tang congratulated the Tinubu administration on the National IP Strategy, expressing optimism that Nigeria’s intellectual property ecosystem would continue to support economic empowerment and job creation.

He also noted that more than 3,000 Nigerian startups, including seven unicorns, were attracting significant financial capital into the country, showing that intellectual property is increasingly being driven by emerging economies.

Ministers Welcome Partnership

Earlier, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, said the visit of the WIPO delegation reflected the growing partnership between Nigeria and the organisation.

He said the engagement would strengthen Nigeria’s intellectual property ecosystem and support the country’s development priorities.

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, said her ministry had set several targets aimed at creating jobs and would fully partner with WIPO to support the creative sector.

Also speaking, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said previous bilateral meetings with relevant ministries had produced key outcomes, including the inauguration of the WIPO office in Abuja.

She said the development reaffirmed the Tinubu administration’s commitment to intellectual property policy, trade, investment and the creative economy.