John Asein, the director-general of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), says the federal government is taking steps to finalise its national intellectual property (IP) policy and strategy.

Mr Asein disclosed this on Friday while commemorating 2024 World Intellectual Property Day with the theme “IP and the SDGs: Building Our Common Future with Innovation and Creativity’’ in Abuja.

The day is observed every April 26 to celebrate the importance of intellectual property (IP) rights to encourage innovation and creativity.

The director-general was represented by the Director of Legal, Emeka Ogbonna.

The NCC boss said the policy would serve as a blueprint for a more efficient, modern, and responsive legal and administrative framework that the country could use to leverage its creative and innovative potential.

He said the day underscored the power of innovation and creativity in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and shaping a sustainable and inclusive future for humanity.

According to him, the SDGs represent a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by the year 2030.

“IP rights play a pivotal role in fostering innovation, creativity, and technological advancements. They provide the framework that encourages men and women to develop new solutions that address global challenges.

“It is the lynchpin for incentivising the use of creative and innovative ideas to solve many of the challenges that confront humanity.

“By aligning our intellectual property policies and strategies with the objectives of the SDGs, we can accelerate their achievement,” the NCC boss said.

He said that, in the spirit of the present administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the government had also shown appreciable commitment to the creative industry as a major sector of the economy.

“The commission will pay particular attention to using the copyright system to advance Goal 1 (no poverty), Goal 4 (quality education), and Goal 5 (gender equality).

“And Goal 8 (decent and economic growth); Goal 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure); and Goal 17 (partnerships to achieve the goals).

“We are aware that the goals would have to be adapted to fit the peculiar needs of intellectual property, which is an intangible asset,” he stated.

The director-general, who said the commission focused on the 17 SDGs to address emerging challenges, called on authors, innovators, users, IP experts and other stakeholders to reflect on the vulnerability of the nation’s fragile knowledge and creative ecosystem.

(NAN)