Cross-Regional Forum on IP and Women in Entrepreneurship
January 31, 2025
The forum was held in Kingston, Jamaica from December 5 to 6, 2024, organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in cooperation with the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office with the support of the Japan Patent Office (JPO) via the Funds-In-Trust Japan Industrial Property Global.
The objective of the forum was to provide a platform for the open exchange of cross-regional experiences, to identify challenges, propose solutions and best practices in the use of intellectual property by women entrepreneurs, who were beneficiaries of the women in entrepreneurship projects led by WIPO, and to establish a cross-regional network among participants.
The forum brought together 19 women entrepreneurs from 9 countries from the Caribbean (Belize, Jamaica, St Lucia and St Vincent) and Africa (Botswana, Ghana, Namibia and South Africa).
The meeting was opened with welcome remarks by Ms. Lilyclaire Bellamy, Executive Director, Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO), Ms. Carol Simpson, Head, Section for Caribbean countries, DLAC, WIPO, and Ms. Mai Miyaoka, Deputy Director, International Affairs Section (Global Challenges) International Policy Division, Japan Patent Office. Ms. Stacey Hines, Author of “Balanced Lady Boss”, delivered the keynote speech.
The keynote speech, encouraged the participants to adopt a confident and self-affirming mindset, creating a synergy among the women entrepreneurs and allowing them to identify common challenges in their journey. The Forum was structured around a methodological design that focused on building connections among the 19 participants. Activities such as personal reflections, group socialization, IP self-assessment, and the "World Café Connections" icebreaker exercises facilitated networking and collaboration. The "Group Biz Pitch for Success" exercise demonstrated teamwork and provided valuable feedback to participants. The experience of the mentorship program of the Jamaica pilot project was shared in an interview with a mentor and a mentee. The presentation of the IP for Her initiative, a platform where creative and innovative women can connect, collaborate, and learn from each other, was a significant moment of the Forum, to which participants were eager to contribute.
On the last day, a Pop-Up market was set up for the participants, enabling them to showcase their products to a local and international audience in a relaxed environment. The marketplace was well supported by members of the public who welcomed the opportunity to learn about the journey of the entrepreneurs from different cultural backgrounds.
The Forum was a balanced and rich fusion of personal development and business acumen shared by the participants, some viewed it as a “life-changing” experience, to be in a setting surrounded by a cadre of talent and skill, that was motivating and deeply inspiring.
Few testimonies of the participants:
Ms. Kimon Baptiste, Kimmystic Co., St. Vincent and the Grenadines: “Before WIPO training, my understanding of IP was vague, but now I see the incredible possibilities it holds, not just for business, but for protecting creativity and fostering growth across regions”
Ms. Ayesha Tjiueza, Executive Chairperson, Kanuma Trading Enterprises, Namibia: “Very happy to participate in the Forum, I got much more than I anticipated. Happy to see that the Caribbean has embraced the Namibia offering...I will come back.”
Ms. Keithlin Caroo-Afrifa, Executive Director, Helen’s Daughters, Saint Lucia: “The WIPO Training guided us in the trademark process on our IP assets. Moving forward we will integrate IP training into our Ag-academy to equip farmers with essential knowledge on protecting their innovations”
(All photos; WIPO)