In June 2025, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Nigeria Office concluded the IP Skills Acquisition, Learning & Youth Entrepreneurship (IP SALAYE 2.0) programme with two Demo Exhibition Days in Abuja (June 16) and Kano (June 24). These hybrid events, hosted at the United Nations House in Abuja and the Mystic Falls Event Center in Kano (with remote participation via Zoom), provided close to 200 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members the opportunity to discover the power of intellectual property to create scalable solutions to local problems.
Launched in November 2024, IP SALAYE 2.0 built on the success of the pilot edition which held from October 2023 - April 2024 by scaling from 28 participants in Abuja to 150 youth corps members across Abuja and Kano. From over 400 applicants, 150 candidates were selected and onboarded into the program in December 2024. Working in state-based teams of five, participants embarked on a two-stage journey: First, identifying local problems and designing tech-based solutions (December 2024 - February 2025), then advancing to one-on-one IP Management Clinics (IPMC) for personalized mentorship on commercializing and protecting their innovations (March - May 2025).
During the Demo Exhibition Days, the top 15 finalist teams presented tech solutions addressing issues like accessing affordable housing, agricultural productivity, educational tools, and renewable energy. The audience included members of the diplomatic community, government officials, NYSC representatives, IP experts, and key players in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, remarked at the Abuja Demo Exhibition Day that “the young entrepreneurs were not just presenting ideas, they were presenting the future of Nigerian enterprise backed by innovation…” Many praised the initiative’s experiential learning model and its empowerment of youth through practical IP mentorship. A participant from the Abuja cohort expressed gratitude for the opportunity to “turn a good idea into a protected, investor-ready business”.
Director of the WIPO Nigeria Office, Mr. Oluwatobiloba Moody, emphasized WIPO’s continued commitment to equipping young innovators in Nigeria with the IP tools to confidently bring their solutions to market, consequently nurturing innovation that can drive broader socioeconomic growth. The success of IP SALAYE 2.0 also underscores WIPO Nigeria’s commitment to elevating IP awareness among Nigeria’s youth, building capacity in utilizing IP for business growth and encouraging sustainable enterprise rooted in problem-solving and local relevance.
