Technical support for the development of the legal framework for GIs in other countries

This activity aims to support individual countries, such as Nigeria, that have expressed the need to adopt a standalone system for protecting geographical indications (GIs). It will allow those countries to align with efforts to promote high-level protection for GIs at a continental level, as is the case for the OAPI system. Additionally, this activity helps to identify gaps in existing GI legislation and issues recommendations to close those gaps, looking at the needs of the country, the best African and European practices, and the most protective agreements, such as the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications. This activity will also build on the results of the work done by other partners, such as, in the case of Nigeria, the French Development Agency, and the Embassy of France on the ‘mapping of Nigerian GIs.’

In 2023, it is envisaged that the relevant Nigerian authorities will be encouraged to adopt the draft GI bill and by-law on GIs created by the Technical Working Group on GIs supported by AfrIPI in 2021 and 2022.