Nigeria’s 2022 Copyright Act improved the regulations around copyrighted works but enforcement of this law and other intellectual property rights laws remains poor. While customs and law enforcement officials occasionally act on IPR issues the amount of enforcement is not commensurate with the scale of the IPR violations. CcIn Nigeria, localization policies (in the form of local content requirements) protect and favor local companies at the expense of foreign firms and investors. The 2019 Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in Information and Communications Technology require local production or utilization of Nigerian materials and labor across a broad range of information communications technology (ICT) goods and services.

In any foreign market, U.S. companies should consider several general principles for effective protection of their intellectual property. The U.S. Department of Commerce has positioned IP Attachés in key markets around the world.  You can contact the IP Attaché for Africa: Katherine Hiner – Katherine.Hiner@trade.gov

For additional information, visit the U.S. Department of State Investment Climate Statements.