The pervasive culture of gender bias and the dearth of access to funding, infrastructure, information, education, and more particularly within the local communities due to its largely subsistent level and informal nature of trade have limited the creative and innovative capacity of women. In this dynamic, women are severely affected.
The rural women, for example, in faraway Damboa, Borno State are constantly in search of new and better methods of harvesting, producing or marketing their farm produce or designing their handcrafts in order to support their families while still living in the fear of Boko Haram terrorists.
Or the young female innovators in the high-tech hub of Lagos or Nairobi who are constantly writing new codes or researching new inventions at the edge of AI while grappling with the uncertainty of IP protection for new technologies that is meant to bring reward to innovation.
Women actors and performers are not left behind in the challenges of IP system. Yet the IP institution has remained the cornerstone of protection and promotion of creativity and innovation on which creatives and innovators rely.
Nonetheless, the complexity of global IP system has not been completely supportive, even worse for women creators in the remote regions who are at the receiving end of lack of access to knowledge and technology, and other needs required to scale their talents and innovative capacities.
That is the reason law and policy reforms are an important source of support, where relevant IP offers adequate standard of protection. The prospect of the new Copyright Act 2022 is germane in the context of women and IP in Nigeria’s creative industry.
For the first time in the history of copyright law in Nigeria, the Act, anchored on fundamental objectives, has effectively strengthened the legal framework for the promotion of the creative economy and repositioned Nigeria’s core cultural industries through enhanced rights and access in the digital environment that it guarantees.
For women, that support is vital to achieving access and the incentives access brings to accelerating their intellectual enterprise. The support is not limited to law alone.
It extends to other important initiatives such as training, mentoring, workshops, technical assistance, and providing information and useful tools that will help accelerate women’s creative and innovative capacity.
For the indigenous peoples, basic information on the relationship between traditional knowledge (TK) and traditional cultural expressions has become germane to the understanding of maintaining access to knowledge and to the just reward for their intellectual efforts.
The various initiatives combine with the law to help in building the capacity of women innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs in local communities, tech hubs and SMEs to make strategic and effective use of IP Rights (IPRs).
In conclusion, not only do we recognize creators and innovators, but we also recognize those who are responsible for protecting, educating, and promoting their IP. May I, in this wise, single out four women forerunners of IP law practice and teaching in this clime – Marlies Alan, Uwa Ohiku, Prof. Jemila Nasir and Prof. Joke Oyewunmi – among the vibrant company of IP women, who have continued to accelerate IP for the present and future generations of IP lawyers and academics.
When women are supported, the benefits are enormous; from the family to children who are the next generation of creatives and innovators, and to society at large.
They are the natural candidates for unleashing Africa’s largely informal sector and this makes supporting women creatives and innovators more compelling and profitable for society. With their increasing role in different spheres of life, they deserve to be celebrated in the aspirations of accelerating innovation and creativity.
It is certain that women will continue to make their mark in their timeless creations that have not only provided solutions to social problems but in offering of their talents that have been used to improve the human condition, bringing succour and happiness to people of the world.
In a world faced with rapid social, economic, technological, and political changes more profound than the industrial revolution of the last century, women in their innate capacity and instinct can nurture an orderly, ethical, and humane value on the paths of global sustainability.
Women are the heartbeat of human race, and in a certain way, they truly make the world go round with their divinely endowed nature, passion, compassion, and genius. They are man’s crowning glory and indeed the jewel of the world. We use this occasion of World IP Day to offer a toast to their tenacity and acceleration in the genres of creativity and innovation.
Concluded
Professor Adewopo, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is a former Director General, Nigeria Copyright Commission; distinguished IP Chair at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Partner, L & A Legal Consultants.
