NATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY POLICY AND STRATEGY

What Is This Policy?

The National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy (NIPPS) is Nigeria's first comprehensive national strategy for developing and protecting intellectual property as a driver of economic growth and innovation. Approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2025, it provides a roadmap for strengthening Nigeria's IP legal framework, institutions, enforcement capacity, and commercial exploitation of IP assets including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and plant variety rights.

Who Does It Target?

Inventors, researchers, and innovators in universities, research institutes, and technology companies Creative practitioners, musicians, filmmakers, writers, and designers who hold copyright assets SMEs and startups seeking to protect their brands, technologies, and creative works Government agencies and IP registries: Trademarks Registry, Patents and Designs Registry, NOTAP, and the Nigerian Copyright Commission Financial institutions and development banks being asked to accept IP as collateral for credit

What Does It Aim to Achieve?

Strengthen Nigeria's legal framework for IP protection by modernising the Patents and Designs Act 1971 and the Trade Marks Act 1967 to reflect digital commerce realities Position Nigeria as the leading IP hub in West and Central Africa, attracting innovation investment and supporting the creative and technology sectors Enable IP assets to be monetised as financial instruments, including as bankable collateral for loans through a national IP valuation and securitisation framework Reduce IP infringement and counterfeit goods through stronger enforcement by courts, Nigeria Customs, SON, and NAFDAC

Key Features

Seven Policy Pillars: Legal framework reform; institutional strengthening; IP generation and protection; IP commercialisation and technology transfer; enforcement; human resource development; IP awareness and education IP as Collateral: NIPPS introduces a framework for accepting registered IP as collateral for credit from banks and development finance institutions, unlocking capital for innovators NOTAP Enhancement: National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) mandate expanded from regulating inbound foreign technology to actively supporting commercialisation of domestic IP Copyright Act 2022 Integration: The 2022 Copyright Act is the first IP reform under the NIPPS direction; it introduces digital protections, moral rights, and expanded enforcement powers Plant Variety Protection: Nigeria's accession to the UPOV Convention and the Plant Variety Protection Act 2021 are integrated into the NIPPS framework for agricultural innovation WIPO Partnership: NIPPS was developed with WIPO technical assistance; Nigeria's WIPO membership provides access to international IP filing systems including PCT, Madrid, and Hague

Current Status

Rollout Stage: Active; FEC approved NIPPS in 2025; implementation begins with legal reform and institutional capacity building in 2025 to 2027 Implementing Bodies: Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy; AGF; NOTAP; Nigerian Copyright Commission; Trademarks Registry; Patents and Designs Registry Legislative Reform: Bills to modernise the Patents and Designs Act and Trade Marks Act being drafted for National Assembly submission in 2025 to 2026 Funding: FGN budget, WIPO technical cooperation, World Bank digital innovation grants, and AfCFTA implementation support funds

How to Access

Inventors: Register patents and designs at the Patents and Designs Registry (part of Commercial Law Department, FMOJ): fmoj.gov.ng Creatives: Register copyright with the Nigerian Copyright Commission: copyright.gov.ng Brand Owners: Register trademarks at the Trademarks Registry: fmoj.gov.ng/trademarks Technology Companies: Register technology transfer agreements with NOTAP: notap.gov.ng Contact: NOTAP: notap.gov.ng | NCC: copyright.gov.ng | Trademarks Registry: fmoj.gov.ng

Official Resources

Website: fmiti.gov.ng | copyright.gov.ng | notap.gov.ng | wipo.int/en/web/office-nigeria Contact: NOTAP, 1 Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja | [email protected] Policy Summary | Source: WIPO Nigeria Office, FEC Press Release 2025, Mondaq Nigeria NIPPS Review, Guardian Nigeria, Digital Policy Alert | February 2026

Legal Framework

The National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy operates under the Copyright Act 2022, the Trademarks Act, the Patents and Designs Act, and the Industrial Property Commission Act. It aligns with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Development Agenda, the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) Harare Protocol, and the ECOWAS Intellectual Property framework.