Timeline Vodcast | Tobechukwu Ndunagu speaks on Intellectual Property Protection in Africa

In this final episode of this season of Timeline, we dive deep into Africa’s evolving relationship with intellectual property and the urgent need to protect the continent’s creativity, innovation, and cultural legacy. From Nollywood’s fight against piracy to the daily challenges faced by tech innovators, musicians, and fashion entrepreneurs, we explore how weak IP enforcement, high registration costs, and limited awareness are leaving countless African creators vulnerable to exploitation.

With less than 2% of global patent filings coming from Africa, we ask: what’s holding the continent back? Is it a broken system, or simply one that was never designed for African realities? We unpack how colonial legal frameworks, poor digital infrastructure, and rampant counterfeiting continue to undermine IP protection. Yet, amid these challenges, there are signs of change. From online campaigns fighting fake products to new digital reforms in Rwanda and South Africa, innovators and governments are reimagining how intellectual property can work for Africa—not against it.

This episode also examines the critical role of social media, both as a tool for awareness and as a space where infringement often goes unchecked. And with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) aiming to harmonize regulations across countries, we consider what a united approach to IP might mean for African businesses in the global economy.

Join us as we reflect on what it truly means to “own” creativity in a digital world—and how Africa can move toward a future where ideas are not only born here, but protected and celebrated here too.In this thought-provoking episode of Timeline, we dive deep into Africa’s evolving relationship with intellectual property and the urgent need to protect the continent’s creativity, innovation, and cultural legacy. From Nollywood’s fight against piracy to the daily challenges faced by tech innovators, musicians, and fashion entrepreneurs, we explore how weak IP enforcement, high registration costs, and limited awareness are leaving countless African creators vulnerable to exploitation.

With less than 2% of global patent filings coming from Africa, we ask: what’s holding the continent back? Is it a broken system, or simply one that was never designed for African realities? We unpack how colonial legal frameworks, poor digital infrastructure, and rampant counterfeiting continue to undermine IP protection. Yet, amid these challenges, there are signs of change. From online campaigns fighting fake products to new digital reforms in Rwanda and South Africa, innovators and governments are reimagining how intellectual property can work for Africa—not against it.

This episode also examines the critical role of social media, both as a tool for awareness and as a space where infringement often goes unchecked. And with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) aiming to harmonize regulations across countries, we consider what a united approach to IP might mean for African businesses in the global economy.

Join us as we reflect on what it truly means to “own” creativity in a digital world—and how Africa can move toward a future where ideas are not only born here, but protected and celebrated here too.