The United States (U.S.) has launched a year-long IP for Growth initiative to strengthen intellectual property protections and unlock the economic potential of Africa’s rapidly expanding creative industries, particularly music.
Addressing journalists at a digital press briefing on Wednesday, August 19th, 2026, Katherine M. Hiner, Intellectual Property Attaché for Sub-Saharan Africa at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, said robust IP frameworks are essential for African creators to capture greater value from their work in the global marketplace.
The initiative began with a panel on the margins of the World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly in Geneva and continued with workshops in Lagos and Johannesburg.
These brought together policymakers, artists, producers, industry executives, and lawyers to discuss digital-era challenges, ownership of sound recordings, and practical ways to monetize creativity.
Hiner noted that Sub-Saharan African music markets have recorded double-digit growth for five consecutive years. She stressed that music is not merely entertainment but a serious business capable of generating jobs, exports, and broader economic development.
Citing U.S. data from 2024, she said IP-intensive industries generated $11.4 trillion in GDP, 44 percent of private-sector output, supported 65.8 million jobs, and accounted for more than 80 percent of commodity export value. Copyright-intensive sectors, including music, delivered the highest earnings premium, with workers earning 130 percent more than those in non-IP industries.
Hiner urged African governments to ratify and fully implement the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, strengthen collective management organizations, improve transparency in rights collection, combat piracy, and invest in education and enforcement.
She highlighted an Accelerated Patent Grant agreement recently signed with Ghana as an example of practical cooperation.
“Music is not just for fun, it is a business,” Hiner said, adding that strong IP systems similar to those in the United States can help African talent compete globally and turn creativity into sustained economic growth.
