Nigeria: Federal Executive Council approved National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy

On 6 November 2025, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy (NIPPS), Nigeria’s first unified framework for the protection and commercialisation of intellectual-property rights. The NIPPS sets out measures to link innovators, creators, and investors in a single system and to facilitate the use of intellectual property as a financial asset. It also states Nigeria’s intention to act as a regional hub for intellectual property and innovation in West and Central Africa. The policy outlines objectives relating to the legal framework for intellectual-property protection, the institutional framework for administration and management, the generation and protection of intellectual-property rights, and the commercial use of intellectual-property assets and technology transfer. It also covers the legal and institutional framework for enforcement, human-resource development for administration, protection, commercialisation, and enforcement, and training, education, and awareness on intellectual property. The NIPPS was developed by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Ministry of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, and the Ministry of Justice, with support from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Work on the policy began in 2020. A draft was validated in September 2022 during a National Multi-Stakeholder Workshop organised by the Federal Government of Nigeria and WIPO, with contributions from more than 200 stakeholders from government, the private sector, academia, and the development sector.