The Honourable Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Mariam Yalwaji Katagum has said that the Nigerian youth are innovative by using their energy to create a better future for the country.
The Minister stated this in her address at an event marking the World Intellectual Property Day (WIPD) 2022 with the theme “IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future” held in Abuja today..
Amb. Katagum stated that Nigerian youth, along with others in Africa and around the world are innovative, using their energy, ingenuity, curiosity and creativity to create a better future.
She noted that young people in Nigeria are the innovators, the creators and the entrepreneurs of today and tomorrow.
The Minister further explained that through their creativity and ingenuity, young people in all regions across Nigeria are driving change and carving pathways to a better future.
“In the FinTech space for instance, Flutterwave, a Nigerian FinTech recently raised an additional $250million investment, taking its valuation to $3billion and making it Africa’s biggest start up.
We also have Flutterwave, Opay and Interswitch as current African Start-ups that are valued at above $1billion, making them unicorns. In the technology driven sector alone, Nigeria boasts of six Start-Ups that have become unicorns” the Minister stated.
She made it known that the theme for this year’s World Intellectual Property Day has offered a platform for young people to find out how intellectual property (IPRs) can support their goals, help transform their ideas into reality, generate income, create jobs and make a positive impact on the world around them.
Amb. Katagum stated that with IPRs, young people have access to some of the key tools they need to advance their ambitions.
Amb. Katagum disclosed that this year WIPD emphasized the contribution of the youth in creativity and innovation and how this role supports a sustainable future for our environment.
The Minister congratulated all partners and pledged the Ministry’s support to all the youth in their innovation and creativity for a better future for Nigeria.
It would be recalled that the World Intellectual Property Organization Convention came into force in 1970 as World Intellectual Property Day and is celebrated every April 26th, as the World Intellectual Property Day with the aim to promote the role that intellectual property (IPRs) plays in encouraging creativity and innovation.
As part of the celebrations of this year’s World Intellectual Property Day(WIPD), the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Mariam Yalwaji Katagum formally launched the Trade Mark Ambassador Project in Abuja.
The occasion also witnessed the decoration of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Richard Adeniyi Adebayo, CON, the Minister of State, Amb. Mariam Yalwaji Katagum and other stakeholders as Trade Mark Ambassadors.
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