The Regulation of Genetic Engineered Plants and Production of Plant Varieties in Nigeria

The rise in use of technology comes with it a wave of innovations at almost every fragment of the human life. These innovations have great bearing with respect to their protection as intellectual property rights. With the development in many irresistible state of the art equipment, there have been consequential innovations, advantageous mutations and varied explorations in diverse fields of human endeavor, which to say the least are methodological based and solution oriented. The reality of these innovations has arisen a corresponding need to protect various sort property rights, either via the grant of a patents, copyrights, trademarks or industrial designs and in this context, plant breeders’ rights. Using doctrinal research methodology, the focus of the ensuing discourse is targeted at navigating the means for the regulation of genetically engineered plants and plant breeding in Nigeria, taking into consideration applicable regulatory frameworks relevant to the subject under view. The article examines the strengths and lacunas inherent in the Nigeria Plant Variety Protection Act, 2021 and as part of its findings, the discourse establishes that there is need for more awareness and fortified implementation collaborations by stakeholders to ensure the intended objective of the Act is realised.