Feature/OPED

How Patented Innovations Improve Humanity

Published

7 years ago

28/04/2019

By Carly Klein

Innovations are a vehicle for social inclusion and the improvement of humanity because patents often serve as a method to democratize inventions that were once seen as elite. The US patent system allows for greater recyclability of ideas, which leads to less waste. These features create society-wide benefits that build economic, natural, and social capital into the global economy.

All patented inventions, by their very nature, must provide some improvement or benefit to humankind. This unique feature that gives patented innovations an intrinsic quality of improvement stems from strict patent eligibility requirements.

In the US, for example, the USPTO sets forth the following basic requirements for a patent. To qualify for patent eligibility, any proposed invention must:

Be a “new and useful” process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter.
Have “utility,” or be generally useful.
Be “novel,” or new.
Be “non-obvious,” meaning its functionality can’t be something that is the next logical step of a previously patented prototype.
Not already be in the domain of general knowledge or previously disclosed to the public prior to the application for the patent.

Strict subject matter eligibility standards, such as these set forth by the USPTO, provide insight into why patented inventions provide improvement to humanity. Every invention has to provide benefit or utility to be patent eligible.

A few examples of the more impactful patented inventions demonstrate the field of innovation’s capacity for positive change on a global scale. Certain technology solutions, such as in the areas of energy efficiency and agriculture provide two most notable examples of this impact.

Technology Solutions to Poverty:

Energy Efficiency (power, mechanical, electrical storage, solar, etc.) provides a field with myriad ways in which inventions can make everyday utilities affordable, thus helping those in poverty live more enriched lives.

Invention Case Study: Solar Smelter

3 in 7 people today, around the world, lack modern fuel to cook food. On average, indoor air pollution kills 1,250 children under age 5 every day. Up to 40% of the energy budget for households around the world go directly towards heating water. Inventions to address problems are critical.

In 2010, Seattle-based inventor Martin Nix created the solar smelter, which is an efficient method of using the sun rays to cook. His invention takes the shape of a half-shell-parabolic-dish reflector, which has in front an adjustable flat planar reflector. Sunlight reflects off the flat planar reflector to the half-shell-parabolic-dish, which redirects the light to a crucible for smelting metals, which is also the focus of the sunlight.

This invention is an inexpensive utility product which allows people living in impoverished situations, especially in parts of the world where there might be a lot of sun, to have access to a method of cooking food. Nix subsequently founded non-profit organization Solar Smelters International. His organization is dedicated to providing high temperature solar energy applications for those in need, and to educating the public about safe methods to harness the solar process of heat.

A similar organization, Solar Cookers International, brings solar cooking methods like the Solar Smelter to sun-rich, fuel-scarce regions, most notably in Africa. Solar-based utility methods provide ways for locals to improve their health, feel a sense of empowerment, and preserve their environments. In its 30 years of work, Solar Cookers has identified 3.2+ million solar cookers, directly benefiting 11.5+ million people living in poverty.

Regarding empowerment, many of those in situations of global poverty utilize solar cookers for cultural and hospitality activities, such as preparation of hot drinks like tea and coffee. Additionally, solar cookers can be used for health-related purposes. In a project in West Africa, volunteers bringing solar cookers saw that participants did not use solar equipment for cooking, but instead for distillation of water for batteries and sterilization of medical equipment.

The far-reaching impacts of solar heating equipment demonstrate how a patented invention such as the Solar Smelter, which derived from a relatively simple concept, can have remarkable benefits to reduce the harm that those living in poverty face on a daily basis.

Click here to learn about how solar cooking aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals about the eradication of global poverty.

Food Tech/Agriculture is a field where emerging crop varieties, new equipment, and cultivation methods offer more affordable and sustainable access to food across the world.

Invention Case Study: Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Soil Analysis

This 2016 patent application relates to a method for soil sampling for agriculture, more specifically for classification of soil characteristics. This patent disclosure relates to a nutrient planning system and method which allows novice farmers to create high quality crop-nutrition plans that enable sustainable, efficient, and traceable food production.

One of the outputs of this specific patented system is that it can provide estimates for soil texture, and the proportions of sand, silt, and clay in a single soil sample. These are factors that farmers can use in their year-round decision making. Moreover, this patent provides an inexpensive method of determining soil texture, water-holding capacity, and soil quality.

This method, and methods like these, are incredible new innovations in the field of sustainable agriculture. The technology is eco-friendly, inexpensive, and fast. It can be used by farmers to increase food output in areas where soil data, and knowledge of what and when to plant, is severely lacking. One of these areas, where organizations have begun to bring near-infrared spectroscopy for soil analysis technology, is Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Africa Soil Information Service is developing strategies for content-wide soil maps for sub-Saharan Africa utilizing new analytics, statistics and field trials. ASIS recently launched a 250-meter resolution soil-properties map of Africa to help Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania establish national soil information systems and services based on soil spectroscopy and digital soil-mapping technology. You can find their most recent Africa Soil Profiles Database here.

Digital soil mapping can be used for sustainable agricultural intensification and natural resources management. Organizations and companies can bring these new soil-mapping technologies to farmers in developing areas and impoverished communities to ensure that their soil and landscape resources are described, understood and used effectively. The result of the implementation of this technology could raise agricultural productivity and lower ecological footprints in these areas.

Broader Effects of Innovation and the Biggest Caveat

By offering market exclusivity, patents provide incentives for inventors to create and share their ideas. When inventors patent their ideas, the world gains new innovations and humanity has access to less expensive and higher quality goods. In this way, innovation often takes place to democratize what is once seen as elite.

However, there is a big caveat, says JD Houvener, Founder & CEO of Bold Patents. The underlying force that is perhaps causing more poverty in the world is that while inventions and patents are making our world better and more efficient, the world is getting more and more crowded. In simple terms: inventing is helping to feed 2 people where we used to only be able to feed 1, but the world is now 3 times as populated.

This is an issue to think about worldwide but in the US, plant inventors are trying to find ways to produce 2x as much fruit to meet the needs of 3x more people. This underlying issue of population growth may spark a sense of urgency for innovators, because if we fall behind, it could be catastrophic. In the meantime, everyone should think twice about their consumption, and brainstorm ways they can innovate to meet the ever-increasing needs of the global population.

Carly Klein is a law student at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. A graduate from Boston University with a B.A. in Political Science & Philosophy, she has experience in marketing, communications, and sales. She is a Los Angeles native and seeks to pursue a career in IP & Business Litigation.

Feature/OPED

AI and Cybercrime in Nigeria: Can Weak Laws Support Strong Technology?

Published

8 hours ago

06/05/2026

Business Post Contributor

By Nafisat Damisa

Introduction

The proliferation of generative AI has transformed Nigeria’s cybercrime landscape, enabling deepfake fraud, automated social engineering, and AI-enhanced phishing at scale. In early 2024, scammers using AI-generated deepfake videos impersonating a company’s CFO defrauded a Hong Kong finance worker of $25.6 million. As similar threats emerge in Nigeria’s fintech sector, this article examines whether the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 (as amended 2024) is legally adequate, or whether Nigeria’s evidentiary and accountability frameworks are too weak to support effective prosecution of AI-driven cybercrime

Current Legal Landscape
Nigeria’s primary legal framework on preventing cybercrime is the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, amended in 2024 to address cryptocurrency transactions, cyberbullying and various forms of digital misconduct. Complementary frameworks include the National Information Technology Development Agency Act 2007, the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023, and sectoral regulations such as the CBN’s Risk-Based Cybersecurity Framework. However, the majority of these frameworks were issued far before now, and emerging risks like AI-driven threats are not really being addressed. The Act nowhere mentions “artificial intelligence,” “algorithm,” or “autonomous system.” Notably, the National Artificial Intelligence Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2025, is currently pending before the Senate. If passed, it would establish a dedicated commission to coordinate AI strategy, research, and ethical deployment. However, the Bill in its present form focuses primarily on development and innovation promotion, with limited provisions on criminal liability, evidence handling, or enforcement against AI-facilitated cybercrime, leaving the core accountability and evidentiary gaps largely unaddressed.

AI as a Double-Edged Sword
AI paradoxically enables both defence and attack. Nigerian financial institutions deploy AI for real-time fraud detection and pattern recognition. Conversely, cybercriminals exploit generative AI for deepfake creation, automated credential stuffing, and convincing phishing tailored to Nigerian English and Pidgin. The same technology that powers fraud detection systems can be weaponised to evade them. Take justice delivery as an example, the Evidence Act 2011 (as amended 2023) admits computer-generated evidence under Section 84, but remains silent on AI’s capacity to seamlessly generate or alter electronic records, creating “doctored AI-generated evidence”. These and many more issues await Nigeria’s digital space in the coming years.

The Legal Gaps

There are multiple critical gaps that undermine AI governance. For this article, three are considered. First, no framework attributes criminal liability when an autonomous AI commits an offence. The question of whether the developer, user, or owner should bear criminal responsibility for the acts of an autonomous system remains entirely unanswered under Nigerian law, leaving prosecutors without a clear legal theory of culpability.

Second, Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 governs computer-generated evidence but does not address AI-generated outputs. The Act’s definition of “computer” excludes AI’s cognitive processing capabilities, creating a statutory blind spot where evidence produced by generative or autonomous systems falls outside the existing admissibility framework.

Third, Nigeria lacks any framework for mandatory AI-generated content labelling, impeding deepfake traceability. Computer-generated evidence under Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 remains admissible if unchallenged at trial, a dangerous precedent for AI evidence, as opposing parties may lack the technical capacity to mount any challenge at all.

Comparative Jurisdictions: Rich Laws, Tangible Results

Jurisdictions with advanced AI laws demonstrate clear outcomes. The EU AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689) mandates transparency obligations, requiring synthetic content labelling and informing individuals when interacting with AI systems; non-compliance triggers significant penalties. The US Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2023 is a proposed Act that will require impact assessments for high-risk AI systems in housing, credit, and employment, with FTC enforcement and a public repository. China implemented mandatory measures for the Identification of AI-generated (Synthetic) content. These rules, mandated by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and others, require explicit (visible labels) and implicit (watermarks/metadata) identification for all AI-generated text, images, audio, video, and virtual scenes to ensure transparency, traceability, and combat disinformation. These laws contribute to measurable results: forensic traceability, expedited prosecution of deepfake fraud, and clear liability chains. Nigeria has none of these.

Hope or Illusion?

Without legislative intervention, AI’s promise against cybercrime remains an illusion. Nigeria requires the following to boost its hope:

Amendment of the Cybercrimes Act to include AI-specific offences and mandatory content provenance standards;
Revision of Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 to address AI-generated evidence credibility, not merely admissibility;
Investment in digital forensic capabilities is currently hampered by inadequate enforcement, weak forensic capabilities, and a lack of specialised personnel; and
A risk-based framework drawing from EU and US models.
Review of both secondary and tertiary education curricula to address the knowledge gap in AI and prepare the next generation for the AI-driven future.

Conclusion

AI can help curb cybercrime in Nigeria, but only if legal capacity catches up with technical capability. The Cybercrimes Act 2024 amendments were a step forward, but they did not address AI accountability, algorithmic transparency, or evidentiary credibility. The pending National Artificial Intelligence Commission Bill, 2025, signals legislative awareness, but without substantive provisions on liability, evidence, and enforcement, it cannot fill the existing gaps. The effectiveness of existing frameworks remains a question. An optimistic but cautious path exists, but until Nigeria enacts AI-specific legislation, whether through amending the Cybercrimes Act, revising the Evidence Act, or strengthening the pending Bill, weak laws will remain unable to support strong technology.

Nafisat Damisa is a Legal Research Associate in Olives and Candles – Legal Practitioners. For further information, enquiries, or clarification, please contact Nafisat via: [email protected] or [email protected]

Feature/OPED

Before Oil Hits $150: A Warning Nigeria Cannot Ignore

Published

2 days ago

05/05/2026

Business Post Contributor

By Isah Kamisu Madachi

As of April 30, 2026, the crude price is said to have reached $125 in the global market. The all-time high price per barrel was recorded in 2008, when it surged to $147. It is obvious that the price is heading in that direction or even towards what experts have predicted — crude reaching a new all-time high of $150 in the near future if crude passages remain closed in the Middle East, which would ultimately come with several disproportionate challenges for businesses and households.

In Nigeria, what began as a mild adjustment in the price of gasoline and other refined crude products has not stopped anywhere until it reached N1,400 per litre of petrol at filling stations. When the price was surging, experts in energy, economics, marketing, business and other relevant fields tried to come up with explanations for how Nigeria, despite housing the largest petrochemicals refinery in Africa and being one of the largest oil-exporting countries on the continent, would continue to absorb this shock.

Despite our advantages, Nigeria recorded the world’s second-highest surge in petrol prices following the escalating geopolitical tension in the Middle East. In Africa, Nigeria has the highest spike, with many sources citing it at 39.5% and above. Even non-oil-producing countries in Africa, and countries that do not refine a drop of oil, did not experience this surge. Also, African countries like South Africa at 1%, Morocco at 2.1%, and Tanzania at 2.7% experienced far smaller increases that are nowhere near Nigeria’s.

To put it in context, South Korea, Japan, and China are among the foremost dependents on the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure escalated the crude price, but none of these countries has recorded even a 20% increase in their petrol prices. Nigeria does not import its crude through the Strait of Hormuz. Yet, as an oil-exporting nation, we have suffered some of the sharpest petrol price increases in Africa.

What went wrong in Nigeria to warrant this surge is not the primary focus of this piece. What lies ahead is. As a result of the increase in petrol prices, Nigerians have been disproportionately affected. Life has become unbearably difficult, with sharp increases in transportation costs, rising food prices, and higher costs of goods and services. Even charging points that used to collect N150 for charging a phone or battery now charge N300 or more.

As it stands, the gap between the current crude price and the predicted new all-time high is about $25. This means that if the passages continue to remain closed, we are not far from another historic price peak. It is even said that reopening the passages may not immediately stabilise prices, as crude tankers would still take time to reach their destinations.

What this means for Nigeria is another sharp increase in refined petroleum product prices, which could trigger another wave of stagflation. Already struggling, Nigerians do not deserve this. They are only just adapting to the post-subsidy era, yet are being hit again by another round of global geopolitical tensions. Many are already in deep energy poverty, with businesses struggling due to unstable electricity supply.

Therefore, as crude oil prices hover above $125 per barrel and threaten to reach the predicted $150 if disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz persist, Nigeria must act decisively to shield its citizens. The Dangote Refinery exists. Nigeria refines oil. What the federal government owes Nigerians at this point is a deliberate policy decision to make that the refinery serve domestic needs first, with pricing that does not mirror whatever is happening in the global market. That is not complicated; other oil-producing countries do exactly this.

The NMDPRA has the authority to act on this. The question is whether there is a political will to act before another price wave hits and Nigerians are once again left to absorb what their counterparts elsewhere never have to.

Sub-national governments also have something to do. Commercial motorcyclists and small business owners are the people who feel every petrol price increase the hardest and the fastest. Pushing CNG and LPG adoption among this group beyond the FCT and Lagos, with genuine support, would cushion a significant part of the next shock. Expanding solar access in underserved communities would do the same. A shop owner running on solar is not at the mercy of the next diesel price spike.

These solutions are quite feasible. Nigeria has attempted versions of them before. Where we often seem to get it wrong is in execution, and Nigeria has to treat this with the same urgency and seriousness as given to elections, for the well-being of its citizens. The only thing that has never matched the problem is the seriousness of the response.

Isah Kamisu Madachi is a policy analyst and development practitioner. He writes via [email protected]

Feature/OPED

A Simple Guide to Obtaining Pension Clearance Certificate in Nigeria

Published

2 days ago

04/05/2026

Business Post Contributor

By Gbolahan Oluyemi

In 2025, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) directed all Licensed Pension Fund Operators (LPFOs) to demand a Pension Clearance Certificate (PCC) from service providers before engaging their services. This new policy typically affects various types of entities, including small and medium-scale enterprises, most of which are not usually compliance-driven. Following this directive, the PCC has become an essential compliance document for both large, medium and small-scale firms. This article provides a guide on what a PCC is, why it matters, and how it can be obtained.

What is a Pension Clearance Certificate (PCC)?

A Pension Clearance Certificate (PCC) is an official document issued by PenCom confirming that an organisation has complied with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act. It is an annual document that must be renewed every year at no cost. The yearly renewal is intended to ensure that organisations treat compliance as a continuous activity rather than a one-off act.

Why is a PCC Important?

The PCC is important because it demonstrates that an organisation is compliant with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act, especially as it relates to employee pension contributions under Section 4 (1) of the Pension Reform Act and subscription to group life insurance under Section 4 (5) of the Pension Reform Act. It is also required for certain transactions, such as government contracts and engagements with compliance-sensitive partners. In essence, a PCC assures investors, partners, and clients that your business is properly structured and compliant with regulatory requirements.

Who Needs a Pension Clearance Certificate?

Under Nigerian law, companies with three or more employees are required to participate in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). If your organisation employs at least three staff members and provides or intends to provide services to Licensed Pension Fund Operators (LPFOs) or other regulated entities, you are expected to obtain a PCC annually.

How Do I Obtain a PCC?

PenCom issues the PCC electronically and at no cost through its web portal: https://pcc.pencom.gov.ng/. Please note that Applicants who are just beginning compliance and remitting employees’ pensions are required to first obtain an employer code from a Pension Fund Administrator (PFA). This code is necessary to initiate the PCC application on the PenCom portal.

Upon logging into the portal, you will be required to complete your company profile by providing your date of incorporation, contact details, and website (if applicable), as well as uploading your CAC documents.

Next, you will upload an Excel schedule (using the template provided on the website) containing your employee list. After this, you will be required to upload Excel sheets detailing pension contributions. You will also need to upload your organisation’s group life insurance documentation and payment instrument.

Finally, you will review your application and submit it for further processing by PenCom. Before commencing an application, ensure you have the following:

Certificate of Incorporation (CAC documents)
Group Life Insurance Policy for employees
Evidence of Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) registration for employees
Three years’ proof of monthly pension remittances, including penalties for any defaults (where applicable). For companies less than three years old, provide proof of remittances from the date of incorporation
A valid Tax Identification Number (TIN)
An employee schedule showing staff details and contributions (usually in Excel format) Templates are available on the PenCom portal

Also note that for the portal to accept employee details and remittance records, employees must have completed their data capture with their respective Pension Fund Administrator and updated their records to reflect their current employer.

Conclusion

Obtaining a Pension Clearance Certificate in Nigeria may seem technical at first, but once proper processes are established, it becomes routine. The key is consistency in remittance, maintenance of accurate records and prioritisation of compliance in overall operations.

For many Nigerian businesses, the PCC is more than a regulatory requirement; it is a mark of credibility. In a competitive environment, that credibility can make all the difference.

Gbolahan Oluyemi is a Legal Practitioner and currently leads Olives and Candles – Legal Practitioners. For further information, enquiries, or clarification, please contact Gbolahan via: [email protected] or [email protected]