FEC Approves IP Reforms, Endorses AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol

Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council has given the green light to far-reaching reforms that promise to enhance digital trade and modernize the intellectual property framework of the country. The move, announced on Thursday, November 6, 2025, marks a pivotal moment for Africa’s largest digital economy in its effort to align innovation policies with global standards.

This was upon the presentation of four major policy proposals by the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, including the NIPSS and the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade. These will equally place Nigeria in better positions within regional and global markets while offering greater protection for creators and businesses.

Overhauling Intellectual Property Framework

Coordinated by a coalition that includes the NCC, Patents and Designs Registry, and Ministries of Justice and Industry, Trade and Investment, the NIPSS is supposed to be a policy to rapidly modernize the Nigerian IP system.

The policy has been drafted with technical support from WIPO and charts, among others, the merger of the Registry of Trademarks, Patents, and Designs into a single efficient body.

A major highlight of the reform is the planned automation of digital filing systems for trademarks, patents, and designs. The digitization process, to be implemented in collaboration with WIPO, has the potential of making registration faster, more transparent, and accessible for creators and businesses alike.

Beyond streamlining processes, the framework also fosters research and innovation. The universities will get support to develop and register patents through the TETFund. At the same time, intellectual property assets may be accepted as collateral for loans, a development that may transform the way in which startups and innovators access finance.

In addition, IP education will be incorporated into university, polytechnic, and research institution curricula in order to build capacity and raise awareness among the innovators of tomorrow.

Boosting Africa’s Digital Trade

The Federal Executive Council also approved the ratification of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade. The protocol aims to harmonise digital commerce regulations across the continent, addressing such areas as cybersecurity, digital payments, electronic transactions, and consumer protection.

Ratifying the protocol places Nigeria in the frontline of shaping Africa’s digital economy, while such approval shows the government’s commitment to creating a safe and predictable digital environment that will inspire cross-border innovation and investment, said Oduwole.