Liberia: Ground-breaking Seminar on IP Awareness for African Universities

The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), the Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation in Africa (AfrIPI), and the European Patent Office (EPO) are hosting a PATLIB Seminar: IP awareness sessions on patents and innovation for Africa from 6 to 7 December 2022. It will take place at the ARIPO Headquarters in Harare, Zimbabwe. 

Participants for this event were drawn from universities in African countries. The participating states include Angola, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Seychelles, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. The seminar will be attended onsite and online to ensure maximum reach to participants and stakeholders. 

The two-day seminar aims to promote awareness of the importance of Intellectual Property (IP) to universities, research and development institutions, and innovation associations. This is because, internationally, the role of universities and learning institutions has evolved beyond just imparting knowledge to students. In the knowledge economy in which these institutions now operate, there is a greater need to harness information, promote innovation and create innovation value chains that contribute towards the sustainable development of communities and national economies. 

The seminar will also demonstrate how universities can leverage increased efficiencies in patent searches and innovation. This information is accessible from the PATLIB network that the EPO coordinates. 

Some of the participating institutions and universities at this seminar include the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana; University of Seychelles; The University of Sao Tomé and Principé; University of Rwanda; Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa; and the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria, among several other academic institutions.  

Intellectual property rights (‘IPRs’ or ‘IP rights’) are legally enforceable rights over the use of inventions or other creative works. According to the definition of the World Intellectual Property Organization, ‘IP is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create. By striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.’

PATLIB is the EPO’s network of patent information centres. There are over 300 patent information (PATLIB) centres spread regionally across the EPO's member states. PATLIB centres provide local access to patent information and related issues. They are familiar with the local industrial, economic, and business landscape and provide valuable services to entrepreneurs, SMEs, private inventors, and students. 

AfrIPI is a pan-African project that aims to support the European Union (EU) in creating, administering, utilising, protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights across Africa. It aligns with international and European best practices and supports the African Continental Free Trade Area and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The overall objective of the AfrIPI project is to facilitate intra-African trade and African and European investment. It runs from February 2020 to February 2025. The AfrIPI project covers 54 countries in Africa and was allocated a budget of EUR 17 million. 

  1. About the Africa IP SME Helpdesk

The Africa IP SME Helpdesk is an EU-funded project implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). It is a first-line IP assistance service providing free-of-charge support for EU small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to protect and enforce their IP rights in Africa. The Helpdesk is a cooperation program focusing on IP and Innovation in Africa which closely cooperates with partners such as the European Commission, EU Delegations, EU Member State authorities and agencies, IP experts, business representatives, and chambers of commerce in Africa.

ARIPO is an intergovernmental organisation that facilitates cooperation among its Member States in intellectual property matters. The purpose of ARIPO is to pool resources for the promotion, development, and harmonisation of the IP laws and policies of ARIPO Member States. The objective of ARIPO, amongst others, is to establish common services and organs for IP coordination, development and harmonisation. The Member States of ARIPO comprise Botswana, The Kingdom of Eswatini, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, The Kingdom of Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 

The European Patent Office (EPO) examines European patent applications, enabling inventors, researchers, and companies from around the world to obtain protection for their inventions in up to 44 countries through a centralized and uniform procedure that requires a single application.