ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of globalisation has expanded economies beyond physical boundaries. In the digital economy, the potential market for enterprises is uniquely unterritorial, but requires sufficient capacity to effectively compete in the global arena. This condition is often daunting for international corporations, much less for Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs). In particular, MSMEs in Nigeria. A primary difficulty in competing in the global arena is the appreciation of, and the effective utilisation of intellectual property rights in the course of MSME business operations. In this chapter, we discuss intellectual property right as a leveraging compass that can help to scale the offerings of MSMEs in the digital economy. Based on the promises of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as harmonised framework and integrated market for the benefit of African enterprises, the AfCFTA will enhance competition among economies of State Parties in the regional and global market. Similarly, given the trajectories of Nigeria’s creative enterprises, the Agreement presents an opportune framework, which if effectively deployed, can spur the creative sector as a key player in the continent. Against the background of the emergence of AfCFTA, this chapter highlights some opportunities for the Nigerian creative sector in their capacity as MSMEs in the digital economy, the gaps in the Nigerian legal framework for the protection of intellectual property rights, in particular copyrights, and the next phase of AfCFTA negotiations as an important development in ameliorating the deficiencies.
