Some 50 government ministers from across the continent attended the November 3 opening of the three-day \u201cAfrican Ministerial Conference 2015: Intellectual Property (IP) for an Emerging Africa\u201d<\/p>\n
DAKAR, Senegal, November 4, 2015\/APO (African Press Organization)\/ —<\/p>\n
Mauritius President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim and Senegal Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne joined World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General Francis Gurry (http:\/\/www.wipo.int) in stressing the importance of intellectual property (IP) in incentivizing innovation and creativity to promote economic and social development across Africa.<\/p>\n
\n\nSome 50 government ministers from across the continent attended the November 3 opening of the three-day \u201cAfrican Ministerial Conference 2015: Intellectual Property (IP) for an Emerging Africa,\u201d held in the Senegalese capital, Dakar (http:\/\/www.wipo.int\/meetings\/en\/2015\/african_ministerial_conference.html).<\/p>\n
\n\u201cUltimately, the source of all innovation and creativity is human,\u201d said Mr. Gurry in welcoming the delegates. \u201cAnd Africa is the cradle of humanity, so it is in this sense the origin of all innovation and creativity that characterizes our species as human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nWell-developed national intellectual property systems can help African countries unlock their citizens\u2019 creativity and innovation, boosting economic growth, he said.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIntellectual property is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition of a healthy and vibrant innovation ecosystem,\u201d he added. \u201cIt is a means of capturing a competitive advantage that is conferred by innovation and it is a means of rewarding investment, human and financial resources, in the generation of new knowledge and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mauritius President Gurib-Fakim cited positive economic growth prospects for African countries over the next decade and highlighted the \u201cimperative need for Africa to protect IP rights in order to build sustainable knowledge economies by leveraging the benefits of science, technology and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIn this globally fiercely competitive international economic landscape, the creation and management including protection of knowledge will be central to building and spearheading wealth creation and integration in the global economy,\u201d said President Gurib-Fakim.<\/p>\n
\nShe said policies should include IP system tools to unlock and promote the value of assets that are unique to Africa, such as local medicinal plants and traditional knowledge. Africa, she said, should also \u201cstrive to prioritize opportunities unleashed by the digital revolution in the areas of science, technology, innovation and creativity.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThere is urgency for public policy debate, coordination, integration and the involvement of all stakeholders in order to frame new ways to foster the development of intangibles and to promote innovation and creativity,\u201d she said, \u201cinnovation is by construction and not instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nNoting that the protection of IP rights should be accompanied by adequate measures of incentives and support, President Gurib-Fakim called for the setting up of a fund for African innovators to access the necessary capital to support start-ups.<\/p>\n
\nTo applause, President Gurib-Fakim concluded: \u201cThose nations that go all-in on innovation today will own the global economy tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nSenegalese Prime Minister Dionne called the conference timely, due to the challenges facing Africa. He added that intellectual property can help ensure sustainable and inclusive development resulting in poverty reduction and increased economic competitivity. \u201cInnovation is the basis of all development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\nMartial De-Paul Ikounga, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology of the African Union, a conference organizer, said: \u201cIt\u2019s the role of intellectual property organizations in Africa to push African leaders to understand that there is an entire edifice to build that will allow our youth to cross the Rubicon – to break the glass ceiling and partake in the excitement of the of the inventor, to dare to become the first in their country, in the region and even the first in the world to propose a solution to a social ill.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nTakashi Kitahara, Ambassador of Japan to Senegal, Embassy of Japan in Senegal, said that \u201cit is essential to assure the appropriate protections via the intellectual property system and guarantee its strategic use. \u201cThe government of Japan was a co-organizer of the conference.<\/p>\n
\nThe opening ceremony was followed by a high level segment on \u201cAfrica in a Knowledge-Based Economy-Challenges and Opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe Dakar meeting brought together over 400 participants, including some 50 ministers responsible for intellectual property, trade and culture as well as private sector groups to chart a plan for boosting the uptake of intellectual property tools to help stimulate economic and social development across Africa.<\/p>\n
\nThe ministerial meeting was preceded on November 2, 2015 by a workshop bringing together some 50 young African innovators and creators to talk about IP, innovation and creativity.<\/p>\n
\nDistributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).\n<\/p>\n
Media contact:<\/strong> BACKGROUND<\/strong><\/p>\n\n About IP<\/strong>: Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. 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.<\/p>\n\n About IP and Africa<\/strong>: There is increasing recognition in the global knowledge-based economy that IP and innovation are two important contributory factors for economic, social and cultural development, better competitiveness of industries as well as enhanced trade.<\/p>\n\n African nations are embracing the knowledge-based economy in order to access the opportunities it offers for poverty reduction, enhanced agricultural productivity, as well as the prospects for industrial competitivity, which could pave the way for sustainable and inclusive development.<\/p>\n About the Conference: The conference (http:\/\/www.wipo.int\/meetings\/en\/doc_details.jsp?doc_id=309436) aims to highlight the relevance of IP in promoting innovation and scientific and technological transformation of African economies. It will also show how IP can contribute to the realization of the priorities identified in the Common African Position (CAP) on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. And it will provide an arena for discussion on the role of IP for innovation and creativity in the continent.<\/p>\n The conference will also:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n – Address governments\u2019 role in creating an enabling environment for the use of IP and innovation for development;<\/p>\n –\u00a0 Facilitate a better understanding and appreciation of the importance of the strategic use of the IP system as an engine for scientific and technological transformation, economic and social development and poverty reduction for Africa;<\/p>\n –\u00a0 Encourage governments to put in place IP policies and innovation strategies aimed at building the countries\u2019 capacity to apply science, technology and innovation for development;<\/p>\n – Give participants the tools and the means to keep abreast with the latest trends and business models in the digital environment;<\/p>\n –\u00a0 Explore ways to increase the participation of African countries in the digital economy by encouraging ratification\/access to key international copyright treaties;<\/p>\n –\u00a0 Contribute to advancing the implementation of a framework and infrastructure which enhances the business performance and competitiveness of creative industries to support economic, cultural and development objectives.<\/p>\n The conference is jointly organized by WIPO, the African Union (AU) the Government of the Republic of Senegal and the Government of Japan under the Japan Funds-in-Trust for Africa and Least-Developed Countries (LDCs).<\/p>\n African Leaders Launch High-Level Conference on Intellectual Property for an Emerging Continent Some 50 government ministers from across the continent attended the November 3 opening of the three-day \u201cAfrican Ministerial Conference 2015: Intellectual Property (IP) for an Emerging Africa\u201d DAKAR, Senegal, November 4, 2015\/APO (African Press Organization)\/ — Mauritius President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim and Senegal Prime […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4584],"tags":[428,4585,830],"class_list":{"0":"post-57128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-africa-news-2","7":"tag-africa","8":"tag-apo","9":"tag-news","10":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57128\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nSamar Shamoon
\nsamar.shamoon@wipo.int
\n+41 22 338 81 61<\/p>\n\n