Intellectual Property in Tech: NITDA’s Efforts to Protect and Promote Innovations in Nigeria
Nigeria’s tech ecosystem is expanding at a remarkable pace, powered by a generation of innovators whose ideas continue to shape the country’s digital future. Yet one challenge has persisted beneath the surface: while brilliant prototypes and digital products emerge every year, many innovators struggle to protect their intellectual property (IP) or turn their ideas into assets that can attract investment. Over the past few years, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has taken a more assertive role in addressing this gap, evolving from a traditional IT regulator into a central force behind programmes, policies and partnerships designed to safeguard and promote innovation across the country.
Established in 2007 to coordinate and regulate information technology development in Nigeria, NITDA has gradually broadened its mandate. Its responsibilities now extend beyond standards and IT project clearance for government institutions, expanding into startup support, digital literacy, innovation challenges and the implementation of strategic national digital policies. This evolution has placed the agency at a critical intersection between technology development and intellectual property protection. Through programmes such as Idea2Impact, innovation challenges and various capacity-building schemes, NITDA has been helping innovators progress from concept to product readiness—a stage where IP protection becomes both necessary and commercially meaningful.
Part of NITDA’s influence comes from the policies and guidelines it issues for the IT sector, including standards for government IT procurement and digital services. These guidelines often define how data, software and other digital assets are owned or licensed when innovators engage with government institutions. By setting such standards, NITDA indirectly shapes how intellectual property is treated in public-sector technology projects, ensuring that creators retain appropriate rights when their ideas or platforms are adopted by government agencies.
The agency’s work on Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy further underscores its growing interest in IP-related issues. As Nigerian startups increasingly build AI models, datasets and algorithm-driven products, the question of ownership and legal protection becomes more complex. The National AI Strategy recognises this and highlights the need for clarity on how existing IP laws, such as copyright, trademark and patent laws, apply to modern digital systems and machine-generated outputs. Although the laws that govern IP registration and enforcement in Nigeria are administered by separate institutions such as the Copyright Commission and the Patents & Designs Registry, NITDA’s strategic role positions it to provide guidance that bridges the gap between traditional statutes and emerging technologies.
NITDA’s involvement in the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA) has further strengthened this positioning. As the secretariat to the National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship created under the Act, the agency coordinates efforts to improve the business environment for startups, including removing regulatory bottlenecks and simplifying compliance processes. The NSA’s startup portal is already helping young companies access support mechanisms that include tax incentives, regulatory assistance and indirect pathways to register and protect their intellectual property.
NITDA’s expanding agenda shows that the agency recognises the importance of intellectual property as the backbone of a modern digital economy. With sustained commitment, stronger coordination with IP authorities and practical support for innovators, it has the potential to turn Nigeria’s abundant technical creativity into a more secure, investible and globally competitive innovation landscape.
