WIPO Director General Daren Tang paid his first official visit to South Africa between September 7 to 9, 2026, pledging WIPO’s support for the country’s transformation of strong research, entrepreneurial and creative capabilities into jobs, investment, competitive businesses and wider social impact.
During the visit, Mr. Tang met government leaders, university officials, researchers, creators and business representatives. A consistent message cutting across all engagements was that intellectual property (IP) is serving as a practical instrument for economic diplomacy, innovation, industrial development, entrepreneurship and inclusive growth.
Throughout the visit, Mr. Tang and WIPO’s South African partners identified opportunities for concrete follow-up in IP education, commercialization, technology transfer, innovation finance, support for MSMEs and exporters, traditional knowledge, creator remuneration, patent-system modernization, AI and regional cooperation.
Pretoria Engagements
- Held talks with Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola on IP training for diplomats and trade negotiators, research commercialization, innovation financing, traditional knowledge and cooperation across SADC and Africa.
- Met Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni to explore support for MSMEs through supporting innovators and SMEs transform intellectual assets into market opportunities, improve investment readiness, access international markets and commercialize innovation and development of a joint action plan and practical WIPO tools.
- Visited the University of Pretoria, where discussions highlighted TuksNovation, the University Technology Fund and successful spin-offs such as HearZA, delivered a public lecture at the Future Africa campus and delivered congratulatory remarks on book launch organized by the university and the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission.
- Discussed practical creator support with Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Peace Mabe, including adapting CLIP platform to South African languages, strengthening royalty distribution through WIPO Connect, anti-piracy work and an “IP for Amapiano” initiative.
- Participated in a dialogue hosted by Deputy Minister Mabe with creators, rights holders, broadcasters, collective management organizations and accessibility advocates on remuneration, piracy, AI and digital distribution.
Johannesburg Engagements
- Visited Wits University and explored a flagship partnership on multidisciplinary IP education, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, commercialization, mentoring and support for under-resourced inventors.
- Visited the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, where examples showed how science and indigenous knowledge can generate commercial and community value.
- Engaged Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Zuko Godlimpi, financial institutions and business leaders on IP valuation, IP-backed financing, exports and commercialization.
The worldwide influence of Amapiano and artists such as Tyla, Black Coffee and DJ Maphorisa were emphasized throughout the visit, illustrating South Africa’s global creative reach and the need for creators to capture more copyright, royalty and brand value. South Africa’s creative strength was also reflected in fashion, including MaXhosa Africa, and in sport, in particular the current wins of the cricket team.