WIPO Nigeria Office Boosts Creative Industry Development

Establishment of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Nigeria Office (WNO) last year has benefited Nigeria immensely, impacting positively on the development of copyright and other intellectual property industries in the country.

Mr. John O. Asein, Director-General of Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), disclosed this in his remarks on the activities of WIPO Nigeria Office in its one year of operation.

The Director-General who led a team of directors on a visit to the WIPO Nigeria Office at the United Nations Organisation (UNO) House in Abuja recently, commended the member States of WIPO for approving the Nigerian Office as one of the two external offices of the international organisation in Africa.

According to him, “the establishment of the WNO has brought the services of WIPO closer to the industries and people who are the ultimate beneficiaries of its services. It has also helped Nigeria immensely in rebuilding the intellectual property (IP) ecosystem for sustainable development”.

He commended the WNO for supporting the various activities of IP-related agencies, industry practitioners, the academic community and other relevant stakeholder groups, especially in the areas of building respect for IP as a tool of development.

The Director-General also commended the Head of the WNO for his tireless efforts in the discharge of his duties and expressed delight at the mutually beneficial partnership existing between the Commission and the WNO.

In his remarks, Mr. Oluwatobiloba Moody, the Head of WIPO Nigeria Office, observed that the NCC has contributed substantially to the success of the activities of WIPO in the country and expressed hope that the Commission would continue to assist as a major focal intellectual property agency in Nigeria.

Mr. Moody commended the technical and professional input of the NCC to the growth of the creative industry in the country.

He said he looked forward to more collaboration between the NCC and the WIPO Nigeria Office in promoting awareness, training and capacity building in the field of IP across the country.

He expressed appreciation to the Director-General and his team for the visit.

A notable feature of the visit was the presentation by the DG NCC of a statuette of an eagle as a gift to commemorate one year of the operation of the WNO.

The Director-General was accompanied by the following Heads of Departments of NCC: Dr. Idowu Ogunkuade, Director, Administration; Mr. Mike Akpan, Director, Nigerian Copyright Academy (NCA); Mr. Vincent A. Oyefeso, Director, Public Affairs and Mr. Emeka Ogbonna, Director, Legal.