NIGERIA, ABUJA – The Minister of State for Industry, Trade, and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh, has raised concerns over key challenges in Nigeria’s intellectual property system, calling for urgent reforms to strengthen patent and industrial design protections.
During a strategic meeting today with members of the Patent and Design Registry, Enoh in a social media handle post reviewed critical updates and developments within the agency.
He emphasized the pressing need to modernize Nigeria’s intellectual property framework to better support inventors, entrepreneurs, and industries driving economic growth.
“The Patent and Design Registry plays a crucial role in protecting intellectual property rights, but significant gaps remain,” Enoh stated.
“We must enhance our legal and institutional frameworks to ensure that inventors—especially small-scale innovators—receive the protection and recognition they deserve.”
The Registry, which oversees the registration of patents, industrial designs, and innovations, operates through six specialized units: Registration, Patent, Industrial Design, Litigation, Intellectual Property Automation Centre (IPAC), and Administration.
However, inefficiencies in these processes and outdated legal provisions have slowed down intellectual property protection in the country.
A major challenge, Enoh noted, is Nigeria’s lack of a utility model system for patents—a key mechanism that protects incremental innovations.
Without this framework, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle to secure their inventions, leaving them vulnerable to intellectual property theft and limiting their ability to compete.
To address these issues, the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment is pushing for policy reforms that will simplify and strengthen intellectual property protections.
The minister reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to working with industry stakeholders to streamline registration processes, integrate digital solutions, and align Nigeria’s intellectual property laws with global best practices.
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“By modernizing our intellectual property system, we are not only safeguarding the rights of inventors but also fostering industrial growth and positioning Nigeria as a hub for innovation,” he added.
The minister stressed that sustained collaboration with industry experts, legal professionals, and innovators will be essential in driving these reforms forward.
The Ministry plans to intensify engagement with stakeholders to ensure Nigeria builds a more robust and efficient intellectual property ecosystem.
With these reforms, the government aims to create an environment where creativity thrives, businesses grow, and Nigeria emerges as a leader in innovation on the global stage.