SADC and ARIPO Forge New Path for Intellectual Property Rights in Southern Africa
His Excellency Mr. Elias M. Magosi, Executive Secretary for the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and Mr. Bemanya Twebaze, Director-General of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at bolstering Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) across the region. The signing took place on the sidelines of the SADC Industrialisation Week.
Established in 1976, ARIPO is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to fostering cooperation among its Member States on intellectual property matters. ARIPO’s mission includes pooling resources to promote, develop, and harmonize IP laws and policies within its Member States, thereby establishing unified services and organs for IP coordination and development.
The newly signed MoU seeks to enhance collaboration between the SADC Secretariat and ARIPO, aiming to strengthen IP protection in the region. Intellectual Property has become a crucial tool globally for fostering development, industrialization, and innovation. It encourages investment in research and development and stimulates technological advancement.
H.E. Mr. Magosi celebrated the MoU as a significant milestone, emphasizing its potential to strengthen regional IP rights systems alongside science, technology, and innovation frameworks. “This agreement provides a foundation for our Member States to benefit from Intellectual Property Rights in support of their development goals and regional economic integration,” Magosi stated.
He highlighted the importance of a regional approach to IPRs, which will support the region’s industrialization efforts.
Mr. Twebaze echoed this sentiment, describing the MoU as a vital step in fortifying intellectual property frameworks within the region. He explained that the agreement aims to create a cooperative framework between SADC and ARIPO, focusing on building human and institutional capacities in IP to support industrialization.
Notably, 11 out of ARIPO’s 22 Member States are also SADC members, including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This overlap underscores the importance of regional cooperation in maximizing the value derived from Intellectual Property Rights.
Through various instruments, SADC Member States have recognized the need for a regional IP approach to leverage IPRs for their development goals and economic integration. This strategy is expected to help SADC nations catch up with advanced countries in trade, science, technology, innovation, and socio-economic competitiveness.
Source: SADC
