AAIPS 2025: Nigeria AfCFTA Becomes Partner as Early Bird Registration Closes Jul 31

The Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office has been confirmed as a strategic partner of the 6th All Africa Intellectual Property Summit (AAIPS), taking place from November 12–14, 2025, in Dakar, Senegal—marking a key milestone in aligning Africa’s intellectual property agenda with its trade and industrialization goals under the AfCFTA framework.

This year’s 6th All Africa Intellectual Property Summit (AAIPS), themed “Building an Inclusive IP Ecosystem for Africa’s Future”, marks a significant step forward in the continent’s evolving intellectual property landscape. Hosted in a member country of the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI), the summit will take place from November 12–14, 2025, in Dakar, Senegal.

The confirmation of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office as a strategic partner to the summit underscores the growing recognition of intellectual property (IP) as a critical enabler of Africa’s trade, industrialization, and innovation agendas under the AfCFTA framework. Nigeria’s participation is expected to deepen discussions around the proposed AfCFTA Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights, with a focus on how robust IP systems can drive value addition, industrial policy, and the protection of indigenous knowledge and digital innovations.

In an official letter confirming the partnership, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, National Coordinator of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to advancing continental integration through strengthened IP frameworks.

“The summit on intellectual property falls within the AfCFTA Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights, which the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office is implementing under the mandate of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. The Office is recalibrating its efforts with an expanded scope to ensure efficient and effective delivery on AfCFTA implementation at the domestic, regional, and continental levels,” the letter stated.

The Summit, building on the success of the 5th Africa Intellectual Property Summit held in November 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda, is set to convene Africa’s foremost thinkers in intellectual property, innovation, policy, and trade for a transformative three-day gathering. It aims to foster innovation, advance inclusive growth, and further AAIPS’s pan-African mission to transform the continent’s IP and innovation landscape.

As the world’s largest free trade area, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will take center stage at AAIPS 2025, offering fresh perspectives on its implementation and the opportunities it presents for regional integration. Following the adoption of the AfCFTA Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights in 2024, the summit will serve as a vital platform to explore strategies for its operationalization across AU Member States, advancing Africa’s position in the global intellectual property value chain.

It would be recalled that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat was in May confirmed as a strategic partner for the 6th All Africa Intellectual Property (IP) Summit, just as the Réseau Africain de la Propriété Intellectuelle des Magistrats (RAMPI), i.e, the African Network of Intellectual Property Magistrates, was, in July, also confirmed as a strategic partner. These partnerships reflect a growing recognition that robust IP systems are essential to facilitating innovation, investment, and regional value chain integration under the AfCFTA.

It is worth recalling that the AfCFTA Secretariat was confirmed in May as a strategic partner for the 6th All Africa Intellectual Property (IP) Summit. Similarly, in July, the Réseau Africain de la Propriété Intellectuelle des Magistrats (RAMPI)—the African Network of Intellectual Property Magistrates—was also confirmed as a strategic partner. These partnerships underscore the growing recognition that robust IP systems are crucial to driving innovation, attracting investment, and enabling regional value chain integration under the AfCFTA framework.

Final Call! Early Bird Registration for AAIPS 2025 Closes July 31 — Secure Exclusive Access and Discounts

In a related development, the final call for early bird registration for the 6th All Africa Intellectual Property Summit (AAIPS 2025) is now open, with the deadline set for Thursday, 31st July 2025. Early registrants will enjoy a 50% discount on participation fees and guaranteed access to all high-level sessions, technical panels, workshops, and networking events.

The Summit Secretariat urges prospective delegates not to miss this opportunity to register early, securing not only discounted participation but also early listing in the delegate directory and priority access to matchmaking opportunities at AAIPS 2025.

The Summit will convene a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, business leaders, innovators, inventors, IP professionals, academics, entrepreneurs, and development partners from across Africa and beyond. Registered delegates will gain access to keynote addresses and expert-led sessions covering critical topics such as IP financing, cross-border enforcement, creative industries, indigenous knowledge, and technology transfer.

Register now at the AAIPS Website and follow us for the latest updates. For sponsorship and partnership opportunities, contact africaipsummit@it-rc.org or +2348180381825 (WhatsApp).