SBL proposes unique partnership between law, policy and industry to drive economic development

Q:  Your Committee is one of the drivers of the Section on Business Law. Can you give us a sneak peek into your line-up of topics and the direction discourse is expected to take at this conference?

 At this year’s conference, the Intellectual property (IP) Committee will be focusing on the role that the Government has played so far in the development of Intellectual Property in Nigeria. Particular emphasis will be made on the three arms of government, being the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. 

Our Intellectual Property Systems will be examined critically and comparisons will be made with international best practices, with a view to developing strategies for improvement in our own systems.

We understand that you derive your sub-topic/themes from the general theme of the conference. How do you hope to interpret this at your breakout session this year?

Your understanding is indeed correct. The theme of the various committee breakout sessions usually, flows from the general theme of the conference and this year, the general SBL theme is “ Exemplary Governance: Enhancing Economic Development in Nigeria”.

With this in mind, we have decided to engage in an honest discourse, which we believe will aid in defining the extent to which the development of a nation’s intellectual property generally, is, or is not the responsibility of the government. 

We shall consider the various IP laws that that are currently in existence and how adequate they are in a developing economy like ours. We shall also consider the role and the effectiveness of the Executive arm in enforcing these laws, as well as the interpretation of the laws by our tribunals or courts.  

 Who are some of those you have called on, to speak on the issues? And what informed your choice of the selected speakers and panelists?

“The Session will be chaired by Funke Araba-Lashmann (Former Assistant Director at Notap). Selected speakers/panelists include; Herman Ntchatcho – Senior Director, Department for Africa and Special Projects. WIPO), Ms. Lara Kayode – Principal Partner, O. Kayode & Co); Prof. G.O. Sodipo – Professor of Law, Babcock University, Ogun State; Prof. Ruth Okediji – Professor of Law, University of Minnesota, USA; Nima Salman Mann -Registrar of Trademarks; Afam Nwokedi – Principal Partner, StillWaters Law Firm; Adebambo Adewopo – Director, National Institute of Advanced Legal Studies; Obafemi Agaba – Partner, Brand Protection and Anti Counterfeiting, Jackson Etti & Edu.

“Our speakers comprise of experienced luminaries in the field of intellectual property, both at the local and international arena; with a wealth of knowledge and experience in this specialist area of law.  They range from former heads of government regulatory bodies to practicing lawyers and the academia. It is our belief that the issues raised will generate extensive discussion and deliberations amongst practitioners generally and IP stakeholders in particular.

“Mr. Herman Ntchatcho of the World Intellectual Property Organisation and Prof. Ruth Okediji of the University of Minnesota, USA would be able to give us an international perspective of this issue vis-a-vis what exists in our local environment and at the end of the day, will be well placed to be able to identify areas where we are in line with the international standards and areas for improvement.”

What are some of the fundamental highlights and focus of your committee programme and what benefits will this bring directly or indirectly to participants at your breakout session? 

The main focus of the IP committee is to assist in the  development and practice of IP in Nigeria.   It is therefore hoped that this programme will be a tool to achieving this goal. 

Participants will therefore gain from the wealth of knowledge of these  speakers and will get a better understanding of the strategies necessary for the establishment of a strong Intellectual property regime that will encourage innovation and entrepreneurship as well as create the conducive environment which encourages foreign and direct investment in the country and thereby improving the Nigerian economy.

  What are your expectations of the 2014 conference?

The Nigerian Bar Association, Section on Business Law  has always concerned itself with development of law in Nigeria and one of the primary objectives is to ensure that policy makers, industry practitioners and the legal regime continuously interact in a unique partnership to drive development in the nation as a whole.  It is therefore my expectation, that this year’s conference will present a conducive environment for achieving this goal. 

What would you say is the biggest take away for participants at this year’s conference?

To all those attending this conference, I would like to say that it is indeed a worthy investment on both your money as well as your time.  The track record of the NBA SBL speaks for itself and this conference has been continuously praised for its programme content and I can assure you of a very good time at this year’s conference.

I look forward to welcoming participants to what promises to be an exciting and transformational conference.”

The SBL conference which has continually attracted key practitioners and business persons around the world, last year had some of the finest commercial lawyers and financial advisers from across the globe, participate and speak at the conference.

As part of its practice, the Section involves the business community and policy makers in all of its activities, ensuring that its programmes are not reduced to talk shops, but rather avenues for influencing the advancement of legal practice, policy and