The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Eastern Africa (IGAD), the World Bank, and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) jointly organized a two-day regional training workshop on Intellectual Property (IP), technology transfer, and licensing for the health sector. The event, held on October 7–8 in Kigali, Rwanda, brought together 30 participants from six IGAD member countries to enhance local expertise in medical manufacturing and innovation.
Participants from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe attended the workshop, representing national ministries of health, medical research institutes, IP offices, regulatory bodies and local medical manufacturers. The intensive training sessions combined lectures, discussions, and hands-on exercises designed to strengthen institutional capacity in IP management, technology transfer, and regulatory frameworks for health technologies.
Empowering African innovation through IP
The workshop was inaugurated by senior officials from the Ministry of Health in Rwanda, IGAD, WIPO, and the World Bank with its member institution, the International Finance Corporation. Opening the workshop, Dr. Muhammed Semakula, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health in Rwanda, emphasized the importance of leveraging IP systems to recognize, protect, and commercialize innovation in Africa. He called for the development of strong IP frameworks to promote local manufacturing and ensure that African-made health technologies gain visibility on the global stage.
The workshop was co-organized under two complementary initiatives of WIPO and IGAD:
- IGAD’s Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience (HEPRR) Project, part of the World Bank’s Eastern and Southern Africa Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience Project (AFE-MPA), which focuses on strengthening local vaccine and medicine production.
- WIPO’s IP Centre of Excellence for Medical Innovation and Manufacturing, aimed at building IP capacity through training, mentorship, and institutional policy development for medical innovation and manufacturing.
Building on a virtual session held in April 2025, this workshop further advanced the collaboration among these organizations to equip stakeholders with practical tools for IP management and technology transfer.
Expert-Led sessions and practical exercises
Day 1 of the workshop featured leading experts, including Ike James, Director of Technology Transfer at MPP, Dr. McLean Sibanda, a South Africa-based IP and innovation specialist and Siddhartha Prakash, Head of WIPO’s Global Health Unit.
Mr. Prakash provided a primer on how different forms of IP (such as patents, trade secrets, trademarks, and industrial designs) apply across various health technologies. Mr. James led an in-depth session on technology transfer and licensing, highlighting strategies for successful collaborations between innovators and manufacturers. Dr. Sibanda explored the broader legal ecosystem that supports local manufacturing, including regulatory, data privacy, trade, and procurement frameworks, while sharing best practices from across Africa.
A panel discussion featuring Prof. Emile Bienvenue (Director General, Rwanda Food and Drug Authority), Mr. Robert Karanja (Founder, BioLinx Africa), Mr. Daniel Waktole (Managing Director, Yoha International Pharmaceuticals Plc), Mr. Natnael Shimelash (Head, East Africa Biodesign), Mr. James Kimotho (Managing Director, Production Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute) and Ike James examined the challenges and opportunities for technology transfer and licensing in Africa. The experts showcased regional success stories and efforts to develop the IP and innovation ecosystem to support local medical manufacturing. These included the creation of the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) and the East Africa Biodesign program hosted by it; Rwanda’s attainment of maturity level 3 as per the World Health Organization’s classification of national regulatory authorities; and Kenya’s development of institutional IP policies to advance medical research, licensing and technology transfer. The ensuing dialogue underscored the need for stronger IP training initiatives, building capacity for IP commercialization and market readiness of health technologies, institutional IP policies and cross-sectoral collaboration to unlock the continent’s potential for health innovation.
Hands-on learning and country action plans
Day 2 of the workshop shifted to skill-building through a technology transfer and licensing negotiation simulation, where participants assumed roles from innovator and local manufacturer perspectives to negotiate key licensing terms. The exercise offered valuable insights into balancing interests and achieving fair, sustainable agreements as well as hands-on experience in negotiating key licensing terms such as royalties, geographical coverage and operational issues.
Participants also presented their institutional work, showcasing the diversity of actors contributing to Africa’s growing medical manufacturing ecosystem. Presentations by Dr. Rabera Kenyanya (Head of Technical Operations, Kenya BioVax Institute) and Kellen Twinamatsiko (Examination Analyst, Intellectual Property Division, Rwanda Development Board) illustrated the complementary roles of vaccine production, technology transfer and IP in advancing regional manufacturing capacity. Ms. Kenyanya’s presentation highlighted the key factors being considered by Kenya BioVax Institute in developing its licensing and technology transfer strategy, operational challenges and how these are being addressed. Ms. Twinamatsiko’s presentation detailed recent developments in Rwanda’s IP law that could transform IP protection for the health sector.
The workshop concluded with country group sessions, where participants identified national priorities and drafted preliminary action plans to strengthen IP and technology transfer frameworks within their respective countries and institutions, highlighting areas for future technical assistance from WIPO and IGAD.
A path forward for African medical manufacturing
Throughout the two days, participants and facilitators identified key operational challenges in technology transfer and shared practical solutions to overcome them. The MPP provided guidance that can help local manufacturers scale up production of essential health technologies.
The joint initiative by WIPO, IGAD, the World Bank, and MPP marks a significant milestone in fostering a sustainable medical innovation ecosystem in Africa, one that empowers countries to produce their own health technologies and to drive growth through knowledge and technology sharing.
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