Governors at FEC meeting [Credit; The Guardian]

On Thursday, November 6, 2025, Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy (NIPPS). Developed with technical support from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the NIPPS marks a watershed moment: it is the nation’s first unified framework designed to protect, manage, and commercialize intellectual property (IP) rights.

This approval is a decisive step towards formalizing and strengthening the country’s creative and digital economy—a sector projected to contribute $10 billion annually to the GDP and create one million jobs by 2030. The NIPPS was approved alongside two other major policies: the approval of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade and the establishment of a national coordination mechanism for services exports.

The NIPPS, a joint effort by the Ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment, Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, and Justice, aims to connect innovators, creators, and investors in a unified system. According to a State House statement, the primary objective is to transform intellectual property into tangible financial assets, positioning Nigeria as a regional hub for IP and innovation across West and Central Africa. Critically, it represents an attempt to construct a coherent, functional IP framework in a nation long hindered by weak enforcement, rampant piracy, and a fragmented registry.

Shifting the Regulatory Burden to Creators

A core pillar of the NIPPS is the explicit institutional recognition of the need for “IP literacy.” The policy mandates the establishment of training programmes designed to educate creators on the fundamental processes of registration, management, licensing, and commercialization of their work.

For Nigeria’s vibrant creative industries, this signals a significant regulatory shift towards a more formalised system. Creators must anticipate facing new administrative obligations and potentially higher compliance costs. This includes the diligent registration of works, meticulous documentation of collaborations, and closer integration with Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) such as the Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN).

While this increased regulatory burden may initially be met with industry resistance, the legal trade-off is substantial. The policy promises improved royalty structures, better ownership documentation, and, most critically, stronger legal protections against infringement. This bolstered framework is intended to create a more predictable and therefore attractive landscape for both local and international investors in the creative sector.

Gaps in Digital Law and the Implementation Hurdle

Despite its ambitious scope, the NIPPS is not without limitations, particularly regarding the complexities of the modern digital economy. The policy is notably scant on detail concerning emerging legal and financial issues such as the accurate calculation and equitable distribution of streaming royalties, and the rights governing content generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Furthermore, the implementation of the policy may face hurdles, a concern grounded in the known pace of Nigeria’s bureaucratic processes. This apprehension is substantiated by the policy’s own history: the final draft was completed in 2022, yet it only secured FEC approval in 2025—a three-year lag. This suggests that the structural changes and enhanced enforcement mechanisms promised by the NIPPS may take considerable time to materially manifest, tempering immediate expectations of a rapid IP revolution.

By: Usman Bashir Abubakar