About Intellectual Property IP Training IP Outreach IP for… IP and... IP in... Patent & Technology Information Trademark Information Industrial Design Information Geographical Indication Information Plant Variety Information (UPOV) IP Laws, Treaties & Judgements IP Resources IP Reports Patent Protection Trademark Protection Industrial Design Protection Geographical Indication Protection Plant Variety Protection (UPOV) IP Dispute Resolution IP Office Business Solutions Paying for IP Services Negotiation & Decision-Making Development Cooperation Innovation Support Public-Private Partnerships The Organization Working with WIPO Accountability Patents Trademarks Industrial Designs Geographical Indications Copyright Trade Secrets WIPO Academy Workshops & Seminars World IP Day WIPO Magazine Raising Awareness Case Studies & Success Stories IP News WIPO Awards Business Universities Indigenous Peoples Judiciaries Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions Economics Gender Equality Global Health Climate Change Competition Policy Sustainable Development Goals Enforcement Frontier Technologies Mobile Applications Sports Tourism PATENTSCOPE Patent Analytics International Patent Classification ARDI – Research for Innovation ASPI – Specialized Patent Information Global Brand Database Madrid Monitor Article 6ter Express Database Nice Classification Vienna Classification Global Design Database International Designs Bulletin Hague Express Database Locarno Classification Lisbon Express Database Global Brand Database for GIs PLUTO Plant Variety Database GENIE Database WIPO-Administered Treaties WIPO Lex - IP Laws, Treaties & Judgments WIPO Standards IP Statistics WIPO Pearl (Terminology) WIPO Publications Country IP Profiles WIPO Knowledge Center WIPO Technology Trends Global Innovation Index World Intellectual Property Report PCT – The International Patent System ePCT Budapest – The International Microorganism Deposit System Madrid – The International Trademark System eMadrid Article 6ter (armorial bearings, flags, state emblems) Hague – The International Design System eHague Lisbon – The International System of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications eLisbon UPOV PRISMA Mediation Arbitration Expert Determination Domain Name Disputes Centralized Access to Search and Examination (CASE) Digital Access Service (DAS) WIPO Pay Current Account at WIPO WIPO Assemblies Standing Committees Calendar of Meetings WIPO Official Documents Development Agenda Technical Assistance IP Training Institutions COVID-19 Support National IP Strategies Policy & Legislative Advice Cooperation Hub Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) Technology Transfer Inventor Assistance Program WIPO GREEN WIPO's Pat-INFORMED Accessible Books Consortium WIPO for Creators WIPO ALERT Member States Observers Director General Activities by Unit External Offices Job Vacancies Procurement Results & Budget Financial Reporting Oversight

IP Capacity Building Meeting Targets Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania

October 26, 2017

A meeting titled Harnessing Intellectual Property for the Benefit of Women’s Entrepreneurship held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on August 28 and 29, 2017 focused on raising awareness on the benefits of the use of intellectual property (IP) tools such as trademarks, geographical indications, and patents for women entrepreneurs.

Participants, all of whom were women business owners, learnt how IP could be used to generate, maintain and maximize the value of their goods and services and thereby acts as an engine for economic development and empowerment.

The two-day meeting was attended by 32 women participants – all of whom are owners of a small business in areas such as honey production, fruit processing, cosmetics, and jewelry design.

Photo of meeting entitled Harnessing Intellectual Property for the Benefit of Women’s Entrepreneurship
The meeting was organized by the Gender Centre, University of Dar es Salaam, in cooperation with the WIPO Division for Least Developed Countries, the Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA), the Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) (Photo: WIPO).

Practical IP issues

Each of the 32 participants had the opportunity to make presentations on their business and to showcase and discuss their products, including examples of how different types of IP rights could be applied to each product.

Discussions were also held on the practical aspects of the use of IP, with guidance provided to the women entrepreneurs as to how WIPO and national institutions can help them with IP registration, management and enforcement.

The participants expressed their aspiration to obtain at least 32 IP registrations (one each) within the next year.

Sharing of needs and experiences

The meeting offered an opportunity for the women entrepreneurs to assess and identify their
IP-related needs (for example in the area of trademarks and product branding and the use of the patent system for identifying required technologies).

It also provided a useful platform for the exchange of experiences amongst the business women.

Gender gap in IP – role of WIPO

The current global gender gap in different spheres and sectors was also an item of discussion during the meeting. In particular, the need to promote the protection, utilization and enforcement of IP by women was highlighted by WIPO.

Reference was especially made to the recent WIPO study Identifying the gender of PCT inventors” which shows there is also a gender gap in innovation, with the share of international patent applications with female inventors standing at only 29% in 2015.

In light of these statistics, the use of the IP system could serve as an important enabler in closing this gap and in ensuring an equal playing field for both men and women.

The WIPO Division for Least Developed Countries in cooperation with the Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) was encouraged to continue undertaking specific activities geared towards closing the gender gap in Least Developed Countries, in areas such as IP-related awareness raising and technological capacity building.

Find out more