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

While Nigeria is endowed with an abundant supply of products that may fall under the definition of GIs – Ijebu garri, Kilishi of Northern Nigeria, Nsukka Yellow pepper, and many more – none of those names have been officially registered nationally or internationally. AfrIPI

To further Nigeria’s objectives in this area, AfrIPI organised a capacity building workshop in Nigeriaon 22nd April 2021 with the support of the EU delegation in Nigeria, the Nigerian Trade Mark Registry under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Africa International Trade & Commerce Research (AITCR) and the IP First Group. The workshop gathered key stakeholders willing to participate in the drafting of a sui generis legislation to support and protect Nigerian GIs.

Following this workshop, a high-level task technical working group was formed to review existing laws treaties and drive the process of establishing the GI legal system for Nigeria and make recommendations on what will be required. To present the outcomes of this process, AfrIPI has hosted a conference at Hilton-Transcorp on 17-18 February 2022. Titled “National Conference on creating legal and institutional frameworks for Geographical Indication in Nigeria”, this conference has examined the key items of the proposed draft bill on GIs.