Inter-ministerial Steering Committee To Review IP Policy Inaugurated

Federal government has inaugurated an inter-ministerial steering committee to review the Intellectual Property (IP) and Strategy Draft.

The committee comprises officials from the ministries of Health, Social Welfare, Justice, Aviation, Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Agriculture and Rural Development, Education, Science, and Technology, Information and National Orientation, Trade, Industry, and investment, and Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy.

It is responsible for conducting a comprehensive and consultative review with IP stakeholders and providing recommendations to strengthen the policy framework within the next four weeks.

At the inauguration, the chairman of the inter-ministerial committee and minister of industry, trade, and investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, said the committee is tasked to ensure that the draft IP policy and strategy, besides aligning with global best practices, address Nigeria’s unique needs.

“It is imperative that we get this policy right. An effective IP framework empowers our entrepreneurs, inventors, artists and businesses to reap the rewards of their creativity and ingenuity.

“Your diverse backgrounds will bring a rich tapestry of perspectives to the table.”

For her part, Barr Hannatu Musawa, co-chairman of the committee and minister of arts, culture, and creative economy, said the right IP would help her ministry achieve its target of contributing $100 billion to the nation’s GDP by 2030.

“An important thing for us at our ministry is to put in place a regulatory and legal framework, which is the topmost of the IP Policy. Without this policy in place, we cannot do anything. It will be difficult for investors to come as the IP policy will give legal backing to their investments,” she said.

Making a case for the importance of the IP policy, a committee member, Senator Ben Murray Bruce, said, “Artists make all their money outside the country but not back home. So, how do you turn creativity into cash? Intellectual Property is the greatest gift that you can give to the country. It will work for medicine, science, and the creative industry, and you can’t imagine what Nigeria will be five years from now.”