2024 Africa Intellectual Property (IP) Summit Positions Intellectual Property (IP) Rights as Catalyst for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa
The fifth annual Africa Intellectual Property Summit will be held from 28 to 30 November 2024 at the Serena Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda, under the theme “Intellectual Property Rights (IPR): A Catalyst for the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa”.
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The summit brought together policymakers, industry leaders, legal experts, academics and innovators to discuss the critical role of intellectual property (IP) in promoting economic growth, innovation and sustainable development in Africa.
The All-Africa IP Summit 2024 brings together stakeholders from different sectors and backgrounds to brainstorm strategies to address key challenges plaguing the African IP ecosystem, providing actionable solutions to the continent’s IP-related challenges to Ensure that intellectual property rights benefit Africa and African people, and explore the role of intellectual property ecosystems in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa.
In his speech, the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area, Wamkele Mene (represented by Dr. Tsotetsi Makong, Chief Technical Adviser on Capacity Building, Trade Policy and Negotiations) stressed the urgent need for Africa to leverage IP for economic transformation and wondered why, Despite the availability of multiple tools, Africa still ranks among the lowest in terms of IP utilization, according to data provided by global entities such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Mr. Mene advocated for the creation of a comprehensive ecosystem integrating intellectual property with trade, manufacturing and value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area, stressing the importance of aligning intellectual property with Africa’s broader economic agenda.
“We should have a model that focuses on administrative, institutional and regulatory capacity. I therefore urge African leaders to seize the moment amid global trade and technological changes. The world is reinventing itself and we should not miss this moment. We should also Complete negotiations on the African Continental Free Trade Area Intellectual Property Agreement by 2025 to secure Africa’s economic future,” Mene urged.
In his goodwill message, His Excellency Olusegun Awolowo, National Coordinator of Nigeria’s African Continental Free Trade Area Coordination Office (represented by Mr. Olusegun Olutayo, Head of Trade Support) Highlighting Kigali’s historic role in shaping Africa’s economic narrative and describing it as the birthplace of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), it highlighted the key role of intellectual property in Africa’s transformation. He said protecting intellectual property rights through patents, trademarks and copyrights was critical to unlocking Africa’s economic potential.
“The future of Africa’s economies depends entirely on our ability to protect these intellectual assets, as the prospects for job creation and economic growth are huge. Protecting these rights is key, not just the existence of the rights. The time has come to universalize IP across the continent Time, therefore, may pass, but their innovations must endure,” Awolowo noted.
Awolowo made two strategic recommendations for developing IP in Africa: developing a pan-African IP strategy that is consistent with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and strengthening capacity-building initiatives in IP law and innovation management.
In his speech, the Executive Secretary of the East African Science and Technology Commission, Dr. Sylvance Okoth (represented by Professor Tatien Masharabu) emphasized that science, technology and innovation are at the core of the East African Community (EAC) Vision 2050. As part of this vision, EASTECO has developed the EAC Regional IP Policy (2023-2030) to create a dynamic IP environment that drives socio-economic progress in East Africa.
Dr. Okos emphasized the importance of intellectual property rights in stimulating creativity, promoting technology transfer and increasing added value. “A harmonized regional intellectual property framework will facilitate international trade, strengthen innovation ecosystems and facilitate infrastructure development. “Intellectual property rights are the cornerstone of social, cultural and economic progress, driving sustainable development across the African region, and I therefore call on stakeholders to Investors view intellectual property as a catalyst for growth. ”
In her speech, Ms. Altaye Tedra Desta of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Academy described the Africa IP Summit as a unique opportunity to unlock Africa’s huge potential in a creativity-driven economy, emphasizing knowledge The critical role of Property Rights (IP) in Africa’s development, particularly in empowering youth by integrating IP education into the curricula of schools, colleges and universities.
Ms. Desta stressed that intellectual property rights should transcend legal frameworks and extend into science, engineering and business to enable young innovators to retain the value of their creativity, adding that if nurtured, managed and protected, inventions would enable Africa benefits. “The WIPO Academy is committed to advancing IP knowledge in Africa through skills development, with a focus on cutting-edge areas such as artificial intelligence and technology. The next generation must understand IP to compete globally.”
The All-Africa IP Summit 2024 concluded with all delegates pledging to continue advocating for IP-driven solutions to Africa’s most pressing development challenges. The climax of the summit was the selection of the host country for the 2025 summit through public voting. Senegal topped the list with over 54% of the vote, followed by Kenya (29%) and Uganda (17%). Therefore, the 6th All-Africa Intellectual Property Summit will be held in Dakar, Senegal from November 12 to 14, 2025.
Are you interested in attending or sponsoring the 6th Annual African Intellectual Property Summit in Dakar, Senegal? Please contact africaipsummit@it-rc.org or +2348180381825 (WhatsApp).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa News.
