How to Commercialise Your Intellectual Property While Maintaining Control

How to Commercialise Your Intellectual Property While Maintaining Control

Updates

IP licensing is the grant of a right to use the intellectual property, usually for a fee, royalty or other consideration. It is one of the most commercially underutilised tools available to Nigerian businesses. A trademark, established through years of investment, can generate a continuous stream of licensing revenues from franchisees, distributors or commercial partners. Software developed for internal use can be licensed to third parties in related markets. A unique proprietary method or approach distinguishing a professional services firm can be packaged and licensed into other geographies.

The NITDA Digital Economy Policy Review 2026: What Every Nigerian Technology Business Should Know

The NITDA Digital Economy Policy Review 2026: What Every Nigerian Technology Business Should Know

Updates

The regulatory environment for Nigeria’s digital economy is on the cusp of its most significant shift in more than ten years. This article outlines the implications of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) 2026 policy review on businesses and the immediate steps required to achieve compliance. It is updated to incorporate recent legal and regulatory developments as of May 2026. In this article, we have discussed s the five (5) top priority areas within the NITDA 2026 policy review and how organisations should proceed immediately.

Nigerian Open Banking - The Legal Framework All Banks and FinTechs Need to Know

Nigerian Open Banking: The Legal Framework All Banks and FinTechs Need to Know

Banking and Finance Law, Business Advisory, Corporate & Commercial, Financial Technology (FinTech), Innovation and Technology, Startups and MSME Law

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) framework on open banking has now transitioned from a policy document to a phased implementation. Nigeria has a comprehensive history of open banking; with the Central Bank issuing Africa’s first Open Banking Regulatory framework in February 2021, followed by the Operational Guidelines in March 2023. In April 2025, the CBN provided August 2025 as the launch date for an operation that would have seen Nigeria emerge as the first African country to launch national open banking. However, the initial launch date was deferred as the CBN stressed that a wholly automated system that offers robust data protection and stringent consumer protection mechanisms should first be in place.

Corporate Restructuring in Nigeria - What To Do & How to Do It Right

Corporate Restructuring in Nigeria: When to Do It, Why It Matters, and How to Do It Right

Business Advisory, Business, Entrepreneurs, Business, Small Business, Corporate & Commercial, Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency, Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Startups and MSME Law

The legal process for restructuring is the most significant for a Nigerian company, and arguably, one that is the most often initiated incorrectly. Those who get restructuring right treat it as a thoughtful, planned process – one with clear commercial objectives and the benefit of legal advice that understands both the relevant legal and regulatory framework, and the desired business outcome. Those who get it wrong approach restructuring reactively: when time-critical, after a term sheet is signed or in the midst of a shareholder dispute that is already causing damage to the relationships the restructuring is intended to resolve. Below are the five typical triggers that can give rise to a restructuring in Nigeria: what options are available and what mistakes are the costliest when dealing with them. Please note that all references to stamp duties and other related fiscal levies apply in accordance with the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA) 2025, effective January 1, 2026.

What Nigerian Employers & Employees Should Know About the Law

What Every Nigerian Employers & Employees Should Know About Employment Law

Business Advisory, Business, Careers, Business, Entrepreneurs, Business, Small Business, Corporate & Commercial, Labour and Employment, Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

On 1st May, Nigeria joined over 160 countries in celebrating International Workers’ Day, a public holiday that offers not just celebration, but a time for reflection. It is also a reminder of how wide the gap is between Nigerian labour law as written and the realities in many Nigerian workplaces. – This gap is not merely academic, but has real commercial consequences. For businesses that are unaware they are being targeted for unfair dismissal claims, for employees whose rights are not known, and for employers who think a one-page offer letter is sufficient for an employment contract, this article examines both sides of the employment relationship, because Workers’ Day is not about one without the other.