African leaders and about 50 government ministers from across the continent
that attended November 3 2015, African Ministerial Conference on Intellectual
Property (IP) for an Emerging Africa” have concurred that such initiative will
unlock citizens’ creativity and
innovation, ITRealms reports.
The Conference which was held in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, saw Mauritius President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim and Senegal Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne join World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General, Francis Gurry in stressing the importance of intellectual property (IP) in incentivizing innovation and creativity to promote economic and social development across Africa, ITRealms gathered.
“Ultimately, the source of all innovation and creativity is human. And Africa is the cradle of humanity, so it is in this sense the origin of all innovation and creativity that characterizes our species as human beings. Well-developed national intellectual property systems can help African countries unlock their citizens’ creativity and innovation, boosting economic growth, he said,” said Gurry in welcoming the delegates.
“Intellectual property is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition of a healthy and vibrant innovation ecosystem. It is a means of capturing a competitive advantage that is conferred by innovation and it is a means of rewarding investment, human and financial resources, in the generation of new knowledge and innovation,” Gurry stated.
ITRealms also reports that Mauritius President, Gurib-Fakim cited positive economic growth prospects for African countries over the next decade and highlighted the “imperative need for Africa to protect IP rights in order to build sustainable knowledge economies by leveraging the benefits of science, technology and innovation.”
“In this globally fiercely competitive international economic landscape, the creation and management including protection of knowledge will be central to building and spearheading wealth creation and integration in the global economy,” said Gurib-Fakim.
Senegalese Prime Minister Dionne, on his part, ITRealms learnt, called the conference timely, due to the challenges facing Africa. He added that intellectual property can help ensure sustainable and inclusive development resulting in poverty reduction and increased economic competitiveness. “Innovation is the basis of all development,” he said.
Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
No comments:
Post a Comment