Podcast: Adams & Adams discusses the challenges of registration in Africa

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Cookies Settings

Podcast: Adams & Adams discusses the challenges of registration in Africa

Sponsored by

Adams & Adams logo.jpg
L to R: Jenny Pienaar and Kareema Shaik of Adams & Adams

Jenny Pienaar and Kareema Shaik of Adams & Adams consider pharmaceutical registration in the larger African markets, dealing with the challenges of registration and the subsequent enforcement of rights

In the second episode of the three-part podcast series by Adams & Adams on the IP enforcement of pharma in Africa, partners Jenny Pienaar and Kareema Shaik talk to Managing IP about pharmaceutical registration in the larger African markets.

The international registration system counts many African states as members – but its use is patchy. Although the Madrid System is effective globally, there are challenges to its efficiency in Africa. This is mainly due to varying local IP laws and registry systems across the continent. The experts explain how these obstacles can be overcome and how legal avenues are available to effectively address challenges.

The experts discuss the realities of the enforcement environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic and typical roadblocks faced by innovators because of problems attached to registration, while providing country-based examples to assist business leaders and consumers who work in the African IP field.

About Adams & Adams

Adams & Adams is an internationally recognised and leading African law firm that specialises in providing intellectual property, corporate and commercial services.

The firm is firmly rooted in Africa – with a tenacious belief in the economic growth potential and spirit of the continent. The head office in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, provides the perfect gateway through which our partners, supported by some 700 professionals and staff, render a broad range of legal services to clients in Africa and the rest of the world. 

Through its associate offices and long established networks, the firm serves a global client base throughout the African continent - in matters of intellectual property, commercial law, property and litigation.


Related content

Podcast: Adams & Adams discuss trends in anti-counterfeiting across Africa

Podcast: Adams & Adams discuss trends in patent litigation across South Africa

You can find all Managing IP podcasts here.


more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Lawyers at Bowmans Kenya discuss the digital blind spots posed by the transition from physical ledgers to cloud databases and digital co-development models
The Powell Gilbert co-founder discusses the confidence required to launch a firm, building an enduring patent litigation practice and why developing the next generation has changed her measure of success
Cabinet M Oproiu’s Raluca Vasilescu explains why AI is changing what clients expect from patent attorneys, where the technology is overhyped and what the next generation will need to do differently
As clients demand more flexible fees and AI-driven efficiencies, IP firms are rethinking pricing without abandoning the value of their work
HG Law was formed largely by ex Fish & Neave lawyers who left after the latter's merger with Ropes & Gray; now those experiences are shaping its latest combination
David Rodrigues and Evan Lazerowitz – attorneys at Robinson & Cole – offer practical guidance on the steps a business might consider to preserve and maximise IP value before entering financial distress or insolvency
Daniel Law CEO Alicia Daniel-Shores may have stepped into a family business, but she has spent two decades building her own vision around technology and litigation
Law firms don't particularly like saying no to clients. Perhaps they should get better at it
The office, which has a relatively new patent litigation team as well as a wider ‘soft’ IP offering, would remain independent if the rejection is rubberstamped
The IP boutique is betting that growing investment in quantum and semiconductors will fuel demand as technology shifts toward physical systems
Gift this article