Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property in Africa: The Role of National and Continental AI Strategies in Shaping Future Governance

This report examines how national and continental AI strategies in Africa engage with emerging intellectual property questions arising from the development and use of AI, including training-data licensing, AI-generated works, ownership and infringement. Drawing on the African Union Continental AI Strategy and the national strategies of seven African countries, it finds that intellectual property is widely recognised as an enabler of AI-driven innovation, but that many emerging legal questions receive limited attention. The report situates these strategies within the theory of soft-law governance, demonstrating how they can establish policy priorities, coordinate institutional action and shape future legislative and regulatory development.


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