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Women Business Associations and Entrepreneurs in Africa Gain Practical Training on Intellectual Property Rights in AfCFTA Context

October 22, 2020

On October 14, WIPO’s Traditional Knowledge Division co-hosted a virtual training with the International Trade Centre (ITC)’s SheTrades Initiative on “Intellectual Property (IP) Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs in Africa”.

(Photo: WIPO)

The event, moderated by Ms. Daphne Zografos Johnsson, Senior Legal Officer of WIPO’s Traditional Knowledge Division, began with a welcome from Ms. Svenja Ossmann, Head of Programme Support to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), GIZ – the German Corporation for International Cooperation, GmbH.

“This webinar will offer practical training for women business associations and their members with respect to the vast questions that surround IP, especially including in the current context of the AfCFTA,” Ms. Ossmann said, setting the stage. “There is an opportunity now to develop a comprehensive and systemic approach for blending in IP rights issues into the building up of the fabric of the AfCFTA agenda,” she continued.

Ms. Lara Kayode, Founder and Managing Partner of the law firm O. Kayode and Co. based in Lagos, Nigeria, gave the practical training on IP law. She talked about why IP should be a primary focus of entrepreneurs. She presented on the various IP regimes, the benefits of registering IP, the duration of protection and enforcement.

Ms. Kayode also spoke about how to take part in negotiations and policy conversations. “How do we as a business association get a seat at the table of negotiations for our members?” she posed to the audience. “Engagement, engagement, engagement. Relevant engagement. Get your foot in the door; get a seat at the table. Encourage the brand owners, encourage the business association members to look into having their IPRs protected.”

She also encouraged participants to start small. “Even if you are only selling at your daughter’s school or your son’s school or you’re only supplying to a particular business, or you’re in talks… a lot of times you think we have to start big. Little acorns become oak trees. The minute you begin to think of the business, add IP to your plan,” she said. “IP protection is key.”

Vanessa Erogbogbo, Chief, Sustainable and Inclusive Value Chains, International Trade Centre, talked about the current landscape of IP rights (IPRs) in African trade and business. “Now more than ever, IPRs play a critical role in shaping business competitiveness.” Ms. Erogbogbo said. “The value of intangible assets is what sets a business apart, and IPRs such as brands and patents have become ever more important to protect innovations, possession and businesses at national, regional and global markets, attracting them to and access to new partnerships and markets,”

“And yet, we’ve seen that the uptake of IPRs in Africa remains low,” she noted, citing results from a recent survey on women business associations.

The survey found that only 50% of business associations reported that their members see registering IPRs as a priority. For those that do, trademarks were the most common IP, while designs, trade secrets and patents are rare. More than half of the respondents identified low awareness of IP and one-third of respondents pointed to the high costs of registering or enforcing IPRs.

Ms. Erogbogbo pointed out the opportune moment for entrepreneurs. “Negotiations on the IPRs Protocol in the AfCFTA are ongoing and we believe this is a really important time to engage with entrepreneurs in two ways,” she said. “Firstly, by supporting their competitiveness on IP matters, and second, by supporting women business associations to identity their priorities and take an active part in the AfCFTA negotiations and implementation.”

The virtual event also included three members of women business associations in Africa who shared their experiences. Ms. Korkor Cudjoe (Technical Advisor for the Women Economic and Social Advancement Programme, Graca Machel Trust, South Africa), Ms. Candide Leguede (Director General of Arcandia Consulting et Services and President of the Business Women of ECOWAS (Fefa Cedeao) in Togo), and Ms. Fanja Razakaboana (President of Groupement des Femmes Entrepreneurs de Madagascar), offered their practical insights on the importance of IP and IPRs for women entrepreneurs in Africa.

The webinar, jointly organized by ITC and WIPO, was conducted in English and French with simultaneous translation. The recording is available upon registration on the SheTrades website.

Traditional Knowledge

For more information about WIPO’s work in traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions and indigenous entrepreneurship, visit the WIPO Traditional Knowledge website. To receive updates, sign up for the WIPO Traditional Knowledge e-newsletter.