By 
By Ross Moyo
The United States says intellectual property is not just about law. It is about GDP, jobs, and exports. And it wants Africa to copy the model.
Speaking during the launch of the “IP for Growth” initiative at the US Department of State Africa Regional Media Hub on August 19, Katherine Hiner, Intellectual Property Attaché for Sub-Saharan Africa at the USPTO, laid out the US case with hard numbers.
The US Data She Cited:
– $11.4 trillion: Contribution of IP-intensive industries to US GDP in 2024
– 44%: Share of total US private sector GDP
– 65.8 million jobs: 44% of all private sector jobs in the US
– $1.58 trillion: Commodity exports from IP-intensive industries, accounting for more than 80% of total US commodity export value
– 130% earnings premium: Workers in copyright-intensive industries earned 130% more than workers in non-IP industries in 2024
– +30%: That earnings premium grew by 30% between 2014 and 2024, the largest increase of any IP category
_“That’s nearly half of the entire national economy. That’s nearly half of all jobs. And that’s what strong IP systems can build,” Hiner said.
The Africa Angle
Hiner said the same logic applies to Africa. Citing IFPI data, she noted Sub-Saharan Africa music markets have grown by double-digit figures for the past five years in a row — the fastest growth rate globally.
But she warned there is “a lot left on the table.” Data presented at workshops in Lagos and Johannesburg showed Kenya and Nigeria alone lose $286 million in recorded revenue each year to uncollected royalties.
IP for Growth is a year-long US program that started in Geneva at WIPO, then moved to workshops in Lagos and Johannesburg with artists, lawyers, CMOs and policymakers. It will conclude in December at the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright in Geneva.
Hiner said the formula is simple: “Up-to-date IP laws on the books and the political will to fully implement them.”
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