Examining the Research Gap in the Study of Nigerian Women’s Traditional Craft Knowledge as Intellectual Property

Nigerian women are the primary practitioners of many traditional craft traditions, yet their knowledge systems, creative innovations, and pattern designs are rarely recognised as intellectual property, creating systemic disadvantages in both domestic and international markets and an important research gap in creative arts and IP scholarship. This study examined this research gap through scoping review and original primary research. A systematic scoping review of nine databases identified 37 publications from 2015 to 2024 addressing traditional craft knowledge and intellectual property in Nigerian or comparable West African contexts, of which only eight specifically addressed women craft producers and only three engaged with Nigerian national law in relation to traditional knowledge protection. Primary research comprised semi-structured interviews with 30 women craft practitioners from Yoruba Adire dyeing, Igbo Akwete weaving, Nupe beadwork, and Hausa embroidery traditions, and structured consultations with four intellectual property law specialists and three craft trade association officers. Interview analysis confirmed near-universal absence of formal IP protection among women practitioners despite documented instances of design appropriation by fashion companies and retail brands. Traditional knowledge protection frameworks under the Copyright Act 2022 and Nigeria's pending implementation of the ARIPO Protocol on Traditional Knowledge were identified as potentially applicable but practically inaccessible mechanisms. The study proposes a research agenda and policy framework for community-based IP protection of women's traditional craft knowledge in Nigeria.

Keywords: women craft practitioners, intellectual property, traditional knowledge, Nigerian crafts, IP protection