Abstract:
EarlyMarch 2021, following its ratification of the Agreement Establishing
the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA agreement), Nigeria’s National
Office of Trade launched a consultative process into issues constituting the country’s
priorities as it prepares to participate in the negotiation of the AfCFTA agreement’s
protocol on intellectual property rights (IPRs). We contributed a position
paper to that process, with a focus on key policy considerations that should form
Nigeria’s negotiation priorities on IPRs. This article describes some of the most
important points of our submission and concludes by stressing that the broad policy
focus should be to champion initiatives that promote Nigeria’s national interest
and, at the same time, recognize and accommodate the ideals of inclusiveness,
openness, and collaboration within the context of the AfCFTA. In this regard, the
paper recommends that Nigeria should prioritize negotiations in recognition of her
strongest economic assets in copyright-related sectors and focus on institutional
capacity-building for its patent and technology transfer offices so that Nigeria can
effectively take advantage of the relevant Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights flexibilities locally. Nigeria can learn from South Africa in domesticating
the appropriate legal framework for benefit sharing and the general protection
of traditional knowledge and genetic resources. The Swakopmund Protocol
on the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Expressions of Folklore 2010, the
Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants 2015, and the African Union model law for the protection of the rights of local communities, farmers,
breeders, and for the regulation of access to biological resources offer relevant
guidance.
