Regional Workshop Promoting Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights in ARIPO Member States

From 3-5 October 2023, the AfrIPI project jointly organised a workshop in Accra, Ghana, with Ghana’s Registrar General’s Department, Ministry of Justice, and ARIPO. The workshop aimed to promote innovation and raise awareness of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in the ARIPO Member States.

During the opening ceremony, Mr Bemanya Twebaze, Director General of ARIPO, explained the purpose of the event, stating: ‘This event aims to raise awareness about the significance of Intellectual Property, particularly how it fuels the technological innovations that drive human progress and the creative arts scene that enriches our lives.’

Under the theme ‘The use of IP rights to foster innovation within ARIPO Member States’, the workshop highlighted the importance of IPR, such as patents, industrial designs, and utility models, in encouraging innovation and economic progress. It focused on how universities, innovation centres, and R&D organizations can redefine their roles in using information to support innovation and promote economic development.

Aida Galindo, the Afripi Project Lead, emphasised the growing importance of Intellectual Property Rights to Africa’s economies. She stated that: ‘Intellectual Property Rights are increasingly becoming more important to all economies, but more so to Africa, where these rights can be leveraged to address some of the continent’s major developmental needs. Intellectual property rights can achieve this by incentivising inventors and creators and facilitating knowledge disclosure and transfer of technology and know-how.’

Africa’s future is driven by a youthful and innovative population, with people under 30 years old accounting for over 60 % of the continent’s population. The workshop provided an opportunity for sharing ideas and learning from one another to promote respect for IPR and innovation in Africa and to help leverage these gains to develop national economies.