Nairobi, Kenya, 16 December 2025 – The Ministerial Meeting of the 11th Ordinary Session of the Specialised Technical Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs (STC-JLA) commenced in Nairobi, following the conclusion of the Experts’ Meeting of African Union Member States.
The Ministerial Meeting convened to consider the draft annexes to the AfCFTA Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights, marking a significant step in advancing the AfCFTA’s legal architecture and supporting the establishment of a coherent continental intellectual property framework.
Opening the meeting, H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area, underscored the importance of the Protocol in fostering a single, integrated intellectual property regime for Africa. He noted that, once adopted, the Protocol is expected to reduce regulatory fragmentation, strengthen legal certainty, and support the continent’s industrialisation objectives.
The Secretary-General highlighted the relevance of the Protocol for priority sectors, including pharmaceuticals and vaccine manufacturing, where predictable and harmonised intellectual property rules are essential for promoting innovation, strengthening local production capacity, and supporting value addition across African economies.
