PR/2013/730
Geneva/Dar
es Salaam, March 12, 2013
African Ministers Discuss Innovation and IP at WIPO Conference
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 the Strategic
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.
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