ARIPO was in attendance at the
Colloquium for Intellectual Property Teachers and Researchers in Africa. This
event, which is a collaborative effort between the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), is took place
from the 5th to the 8th of August, 2024.
The Colloquium aimed to provide IP
academics in the region with a greater understanding of the latest developments
in WIPO and the WTO on IP and to provide a forum for academic exchange in the
Africa region on IP teaching and research. The Guest of Honour at the Colloquium
was Mr. Sherif Saadallah, the Executive Director of WIPO Academy.
Represented by the ARIPO Academy,
ARIPO participated in and delivered a talk on the theme about the role regional
Intellectual Property Organizations in enhancing IP Education in Africa.
Initiatives and achievements by ARIPO in Africa were discussed, hinging around
the academic programs, professional development programs and other awareness
raising activities the Organization spearheads among and beyond its Member
States
The Colloquium also covered IP
issues that intersect with other multilateral forums, on matters such as
climate change, health and traditional knowledge with inputs from a wide range
of experts and policy perspectives. As a forum for exchanging information on
national or regional experiences in IP law and policy, and current areas of
analysis and debate, the colloquium roped in the combined experiences of ARIPO,
OAPI and WIPO Academy in strengthening IP capacity building in the continent.
The programme also enabled participants to develop practical strategies for
improving teaching methodologies and research, both seen to be cornerstone IP
scholarship in Africa. The last colloquium was held in April 2018 in Pretoria,
South Africa.
The event was held back-to-back
with the IP Scholars Africa Conference on 9 August 2024 which was organized
by the University of Cape Town (UCT) at the same venue.