The Federal Government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Developing Africa Group from UK, to establish the first in Africa first intellectual property rights (IPR) commercialization project in Nigeria.
The Head of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry of industry, Trade and Investment, Ibrahim Haruna disclosed the information.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment,, Adeniyi Adebayo, was quoted as saying that the MoU would enable the group to use IPR as a means of resolving some of the issues and challenges facing Nigeria as well as provide jobs and trade services.
According to the minister, the pilot project was structured for a period of three years.
“This is to address some of the issues surrounding unemployment and allow rural communities in Nigeria to start attracting commercial interests,” he said.
“Since trademarks are crucial to the promotion of trade and economic development, and Nigeria happens to be one of the strong regional hubs of trade in Africa being the continent’s biggest economy.
“It is no surprise that it has attracted the world’s IP governing body in Abuja, as Nigeria hosted one of the only two World Intellectual Property Office’s (WIPO) external offices in Africa.
“Africa in general and Nigeria in particular, faces an enormous challenge of industrialisation and unemployment generation given the significant population growth.
“The African Development Bank estimates that youth unemployment is twice as high as that of adults and that young people account for approximately 60 per cent of the continent’s jobless population.
“The problem is only set to become more acute given estimates that some 12 million young people on the continent enter the job market each year.”
The minister advised the group to collaborate with the WIPO Office in Nigeria to accomplish the goals.
The chairperson of the group, Jamila Ahmadu-Suka, assured that the use of the IPR would introduce a several technology-based projects in the country.
