Organised in partnership with the All Africa Intellectual Property Summit (AAIPS) (https://AfricaIPSummit.com), the award presentation took place during a courtesy visit to the AfCFTA Secretariat on the sidelines of the 18th Meeting of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers Responsible for Trade in Abuja, Nigeria.
As the Summit's official media and organising partner, African Newspage coordinated the media programme and co-hosted the award presentation as part of its broader mission to promote strategic dialogue on intellectual property, regional integration, industrialisation and sustainable development across Africa.
The award recognised Mene's outstanding leadership in advancing implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement and his contribution to strengthening Africa's trade, industrialisation and continental integration agenda.
Led by its Chairman, Sand Mba Kalu, the African Newspage-AAIPS delegation commended Mene's stewardship of the AfCFTA Secretariat and acknowledged the institution's progress in operationalising the world's largest free trade area by number of participating countries.
The engagement also reaffirmed the shared commitment of African Newspage, AAIPS and the AfCFTA Secretariat to leveraging intellectual property as a catalyst for Africa's industrial development, innovation, creative economy and regional integration. Discussions further explored collaboration ahead of the 7th All Africa Intellectual Property Summit, scheduled for November 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, including efforts to promote awareness and implementation of the AfCFTA Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights.
Presenting the award, Kalu described Mene as a visionary continental leader whose stewardship has transformed the AfCFTA from a landmark agreement into a practical platform for trade, industrial development and economic opportunity across Africa.
"Under your leadership, the AfCFTA has continued to move from aspiration to implementation, from political commitment to practical economic opportunity, and from continental vision to an operational framework capable of reshaping Africa's trade future," Kalu said.
Responding, Mene welcomed closer collaboration with AAIPS and African Newspage, describing intellectual property as a strategic instrument for advancing Africa's industrialisation agenda.
"The Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights is not just a legal instrument. It is an opportunity for us as a continent to leverage intellectual property to advance industrial development, strengthen public health through local pharmaceutical production, and reduce over-reliance on imports," Mene said.
He further noted that the AfCFTA had completed negotiations on all its protocols and had transitioned fully to implementation, stressing the importance of stronger private sector participation in unlocking the Agreement's full economic potential.
For African Newspage, the engagement reflects its growing role as a strategic media institution convening and amplifying high-level conversations on trade, innovation, industrialisation and Africa's development priorities. Through partnerships with continental institutions such as AAIPS, the publication continues to promote informed public discourse and support implementation of Agenda 2063, the AfCFTA, and other flagship initiatives driving Africa's economic transformation.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Newspage.
About African Newspage:
African Newspage is a pan-African multimedia publication dedicated to reporting on sustainable development, regional integration, trade, governance, peace and security, climate action, and the implementation of the African Union's Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through strategic media partnerships and high-impact editorial initiatives, African Newspage amplifies Africa's development narrative and supports evidence-based policy dialogue across the continent.
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