For decades, one of the biggest obstacles confronting Nigeria’s creative and technology industries has been the inability to convert intellectual assets into capital. Musicians, filmmakers, software developers, writers, digital content creators and technology entrepreneurs have produced works worth billions of naira, yet many remain financially constrained because conventional lenders continue to insist on physical collateral such as land, buildings or heavy equipment.
This long-standing financing gap may finally have a practical solution through Nigeria’s proposed Intellectual Property (IP) Securitisation Framework. If properly implemented, the initiative could become one of the most significant financial reforms for the nation’s knowledge economy, opening access to billions of naira in funding while accelerating innovation, job creation and economic diversification.
The reality is that Nigeria has already established itself as one of Africa’s creative powerhouses. Its music dominates streaming platforms across the continent, Nollywood remains one of the world’s largest film industries by volume, while Nigerian software developers, gaming companies and fintech innovators continue to attract global recognition. Yet, despite these achievements, many of these enterprises struggle to secure loans because their greatest assets are intangible.
