-By Oriade Aayomide
In a bid to transform the Nigerian industrial landscape, the Federal Government has inaugurated the Intellectual Property Automated System. The IPAS is a world acclaimed system of automated processing of applications for the registration of trademarks, patents and industrial designs.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, during the inauguration said IPAS is the first of its kind in the country’s 100 years history and is also the biggest system in Africa. He said after 100 years of manual service, the ministry, as part of its industrial revolution plan, came up with the system.
In his words: “The inauguration of the IPAS today is a big milestone in the transformation agenda of this administration. This is even more significant because it is the first of its kind in 100 years, and as the representative of the World Intellectual Property Organisation has said, it will be the biggest in Africa.
“With the implementation of the IPAS, Nigeria will join 16 countries out of the 53 on the African continent, which have deployed the service. For investors, the service will be more efficient, quicker and cheaper, and there will be transparency and accountability.” The minister said the introduction of the IPAS would further improve the integrity and standard of all applications emanating from Nigeria.
