The impact of commercialisation strategies and benefits for EU SMEs investing in sub-Saharan Africa: measuring the effect of IP practices

On 9 October 2023, the Africa IP SME Helpdesk will hold a webinar on how intellectual property (IP) protection can boost your business’ commercialisation strategies in a sub-Saharan African context.

Are you an EU-based business looking to invest in Africa? Looking to harness the power of IP to maximise your commercialisation strategies? If so, our upcoming free one-hour webinar is made for you.

• Date: 9 October 2023
• Time: 10:00-11:00 a.m. CET
• Registration: Registration link
• Speaker: Tolu Olaloye, Partner in the Intellectual Property and Regulatory & Compliance Practices at Jackson, Etti & Edu

The combination of effective commercialisation strategies and strong IP practices can help SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa enhance their competitiveness, drive innovation and achieve sustainable growth in local and global markets. Properly protected IP assets can give small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) a competitive edge by preventing competitors from copying their products, designs or branding.

The webinar will cover what to consider when expanding your business to sub-Saharan Africa, including commercialisation. It will provide information on how to protect the different types of business in sub-Saharan Africa, such as licensing, franchising, joint ventures, spin-offs and other types of business contract.

We will address the main challenges of IP practices before, during and after commercialisation in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting differences with the EU system. You will also be shown real-life examples from EU firms based in Africa as case studies, demonstrating the importance of IP due diligence and lessons learned from businesses that protect their IP assets.

At this webinar you will gain a deep understanding of the impact of commercialisation strategies on SMEs investing in sub-Saharan Africa and learn how to effectively measure the effects of IP practices in a diverse and dynamic market. Moreover, you will obtain essential advice for EU businesses at every stage of IP asset commercialisation.

Our IP expert, Tolu Olaloye, will guide participants through the unique and diversified IP landscape in sub-Saharan Africa and how it affects your business practices. Tolu is a partner at Jackson, Etti & Edu, an African law firm headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. She currently manages several IP portfolios of blue-chip corporations, SMEs and non-profit organizations, involving commercialization of IP assets through franchising, licensing, and assignments in at least 30 African countries. She has also been recognized as an IP Rising Star 2022 by Managing IP and an IP Leaders by the World Intellectual Property Review in 2022 and 2023. Tolu will clarify your doubts and answer any questions you may have during the webinar.

This webinar is open to:

• SMEs;
• entrepreneurs and start-ups;
• legal and IP professionals;
• investment and strategy managers;
• anyone interested in expanding their business in sub-Saharan Africa.

For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at africa [dot] iphelpdeskeuipo [dot] europa [dot] eu (africa[dot]iphelpdesk[at]euipo[dot]europa[dot]eu) or call us at +34 96 513 9810.