Sub-Sahara Africa: Intellectual Property Rights Development

By Uche Nwokocha¹

Introduction

Sub-Sahara Africa has become a place of interest for the world. Though the region recorded an enormous in-flow of investment in the past decade, there are however palpable set-backs that still impede economic development. Some of these include:

• Political instability

• Poor leadership

• Lack of advanced technology

• Low level of education and infrastructure

One area through which the Region can explore huge investment opportunities is in intellectual property rights development and protection. This will result in increased revenue.

Definition of Intellectual Property

• The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) defines intellectual property as: