Some twenty African ministers, senior policy makers and enterpreneurs joined President Jakaya Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania and WIPO Director General Francis Gurry at the opening of a two-day conference in Dar es Salaam to discuss the role of intellectual property (IP) in stimulating innovation and development. The conference, organized by WIPO and the Japan Patent Office in cooperation with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, is also addressing the importance of innovation in dealing with some of today’s most pressing global challenges, such as public health, food security and climate change.
Speaking at the opening of the Conference, Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete said proper use of intellectual property can contribute to economic development and the eradication of poverty in African countries. He said “IP policies should be integrated with development policies.” The President appealed to development partners “to explore the possibilities of increasing support to African countries in IP issues.” He stressed “IP issues should be regarded as development issues. They should not be dealt with in isolation.”
“Africa has a great tradition of innovation and creativity,” Mr. Gurry said in opening the African Conference on theStrategic Importance of Intellectual Property (IP) Policies to Foster Innovation, Value Creation and Competitiveness. “And innovation is a central driver of economic growth, development and better jobs. It is the key for firms to compete successfully in the global marketplace.”
Mr. Gurry added that “intellectual property is an indispensable mechanism for translating knowledge into commercial assets – IP rights create a secure environment for investment in innovation and provide a legal framework for trading in intellectual assets.” He noted that investment in knowledge creation, and the maintenance of a robust and balanced IP system, should feature prominently in any strategy to ensure sustainable economic growth, and pledged the Organization’s commitment in assisting countries to develop national innovation strategies.
Mr. Toshihiro Kose, Director General, Trademark, Design and Administrative Affairs Department, Japan Patent Office, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said “Japan is fully committed to supporting the development of Africa’s IP systems through its funds-in-trust for Africa and LDCs program that is managed by WIPO.” Mr. Kose stressed that “effective IP systems stimulate innovation.” He pointed out that this conference is the largest organized this fiscal year through its funds-in-trust program, adding, “I hope it will be a successful occasion to foster a better environment for accelerating protection and utilization of IP in Africa.”
The conference brings together ministers responsible for IP related matters, ministers for science and technology, heads of IP offices, as well as representatives of research and development (R&D) institutions and innovation centers, entrepreneurs from small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), major industrial companies operating in Africa, regional economic communities and regional financial institutions to discuss a wide-ranging agenda on how the continent can best capitalize on IP for promoting innovation.
The main topics that will be covered during the conference are:
- Innovation policies and strategies;
- Use of existing knowledge and information to promote innovation and technology transfer (including patent databases, technology and innovation support center (TISC), Patentscope, WIPO Re:Search, etc), along with appropriate innovation research training, tools and techniques, to find solutions to problems to today’s most pressing policy challenges;
- Use of the IP system to promote and capture innovation in Africa and identify the common elements of an effective innovation policy and the IP elements that should be integrated into such a policy.
Ministers and senior officials taking part in the conference will remain in Dar es Salaam to participate in a meeting jointly organized by WIPO and the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on March 14, 2013. ECOSOC’s Annual Ministerial Review (AMR): Regional Preparatory Meeting for Africa will help determine Africa’s contribution to the annual Ministerial ECOSOC meeting which will take place in July 2013 in Geneva. The meeting will address the role of science, technology and innovation in achieving the development goals of the Africa.
About WIPO
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the leading global forum for the promotion of intellectual property as a force for innovation and creativity to achieve positive change.
A specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO assists its 185 member states in developing a balanced international IP legal framework to meet society’s evolving needs. It provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. It delivers capacity-building programs to help developing countries benefit from using IP. And it provides free access to unique knowledge banks of IP information.