The global trading system is weathering a turbulent 2025, with economic resilience tested by policy uncertainty, rising tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and the dominance of Big Tech in digital markets. The latest Global Trade Update (July 2025) by UNCTAD provides a…
Introduction A Sector with Promise Amidst Complexity The African textiles and apparel (T&A) sector has long been viewed as a potential driver of industrialisation, job creation, and regional economic transformation. Yet, despite this potential, Africa’s T&A industry remains underdeveloped and…
After multiple delays and decades of anticipation, the Bermudian government has confirmed that its long-awaited trademark reform will officially take effect on July 1, 2025. The new legislation, anchored in the Trademarks Act 2023, represents a sweeping modernisation of Bermuda’s…
In a groundbreaking legal move that could reshape the future of artificial intelligence and intellectual property law, entertainment giants Disney and NBCUniversal have filed a joint federal lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney. The 110-page complaint, lodged in the U.S.…
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has issued a stern warning to Disc Jockeys (DJs) across the country, cautioning them against the unauthorised public performance of copyrighted music. In an advisory released on Wednesday in Abuja, the Commission emphasised that DJs…
As part of the International Trade and Research Centre’s (ITRC) 2025 World Intellectual Property Day commemoration, this policy brief examines how Africa’s creative economy—particularly the music sector—can become a driver of intra-African trade through robust intellectual property (IP) systems and…
The World Investment Report 2025 by the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) offers a sharp lens into the evolving dynamics of international investment, revealing both emerging opportunities and intensifying disparities. As foreign direct investment (FDI) contracts globally for the…
Navigating the Global Crossroads As the global economy stumbles through a maze of shocks—from trade wars and geopolitical tensions to climate volatility and public debt surges—the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects (GEP) June 2025 arrives as both a sobering diagnosis…
The African Organisation for Intellectual Property (OAPI) and the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) have joined forces in a landmark €60.9 million initiative aimed at financing 1,000 innovative projects across 17 African nations by 2030. This ambitious partnership is designed to…
Secondhand Clothing and the Future of African Industrialisation: Revitalizing the Cotton, Textile, and Apparel (CTA) Value Chain Webinar Policy brief Vol. 3 2025 Africa is at a crossroads where the impacts of global consumption intersect with its development trajectory. One…