WTO LDC Needs Assessment Workshop

Transcription

1 WTO LDC Needs Assessment Workshop Dalila Hamou Deputy Director Regional Bureau for Africa World Intellectual Property Organization Geneva, October 19, 2011

2 RWANDA WIPO s cooperation with Rwanda covers a wide range of activities from training, capacity building through legislative advice, modernization of IP administration to human resource development On March 2010, the Rwanda IP Policy, elaborated with WIPO s support, was approved by the Cabinet National Legislation, In December 2010, Rwanda enacted its new Intellectual property Legislation which is TRIPS compliant. The new IP code covers Patent, Trademarks, Industrial Designs, Geographical Indications (GIs), Utility Models, Copyright and the Regulation of Unfair Competition

3 RWANDA The IP Office ; The Rwanda Commercial Services Registration Agency (RCSRA) is currently a semi autonomous body under the Rwanda Development Board following a re-structuring process in March Copyright matters are covered by the Ministry of Sports and Culture Rwanda has recently ratified a number of IP treaties including the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the Hague Agreement Geneva Act (August 31,2011)

4 RWANDA Discussions are engaged for its accession to the Madrid Protocol Rwanda also acceded to the Harare Protocol on June 24, 2011 Rwanda is therefore the eighteen Member States of ARIPO Assessment Mission regarding the Establishment of a Technology and Innovation Support Center, 2011, August 11 and 12

5 SENEGAL Formulation of a comprehensive National IP development Plan which is consistent with national goals and priorities The National IP Development Plan was signed during the visit of HE Mr. Abdoulaye Baldé, Minister of State, Minister for Industry, Mines and SMEs of Senegal, in January 2011 The IP Plan which sets the vision in using IP for its economic development endeavors

6 SENEGAL Makes a diagnosis of the IP system of the country and all the stakeholders institutions and their potential of contributions to IP led development process Set out a clear target by 2015 This IP Plan has led to a revamping of the institutional framework of IP management in the country with the establishment of the Conseil national de coordination de la propriété intellectuelle (CNCPI) in which the Ministry in charge of IP and the Ministry in charge of culture are represented

7 SENEGAL The IP Plan creates l Agence sénégalaise de la propriété industrielle et de l innovation (ASPI) (which brings together the Service de propriété intellectuelle and the Agence sénégalaise pour l innovation technologie (ASIT) The IP Plan also foresee the creation of the Agence sénégalaise de la propriété artistique (ASPLA) The IPDP emphasizes the attainment of the goal set under the Grande offensive pour l agriculture, la nourriture et l abondance (GOANA), a flag ship government program for self sufficiency in food production and transformation

8 SENEGAL Establishment of a Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISC) at ASPIT, Dakar as a follow up to the signing of a Service Level Agreement Encouraging and sponsoring the participation of Senegalese officials in various WIPO training programs, meetings and workshops, the most recent was the Study program to Morocco on Innovation under the FIT/Japan for Africa and LDCs

9 SIERRA LEONE Organization of a National Policy Forum on the Use of Intellectual Property for Technological Capacity Building on April 7 and 8, 2011, by the Division for Least-Developed Countries (LDCS). Following by of a need assessment mission from April 4 to 12, 2011 to discuss an Intellectual Property Development Plan (IPDP) for Sierra Leone

10 SIERRA LEONE A draft IP Plan has been submitted to Sierra Leone for comments on September The plan will draw to a large extent from a previous assessment conducted in 2007 by Saana Consulting on behalf of the Ministry of Trade and Industry in the framework of the implementation of the 29 November 2005 Decision of the World Trade Organization (WTO) WIPO was informed during the last general Assembly that a New IP law has been enacted by the Parliament in May-June Patents will be granted for the first time by a Sierra Leone Office in Sierra Leone

11 IP Strategy: TANZANIA Tanzania is one of the pilot countries under the WIPO Development Agenda Project DA_10_05 titled Improvement of National, Sub-Regional and Regional IP Institutional and User Capacity. In this process, Tanzania is being assisted to acquire a national IP strategy assigned with the task. Support to SMEs: A sectoral IP audit was carried out by the WIPO SMEs Division in 2011, to examine the IP needs of SMEs with the view to addressing those needs in a holistic approach. This study was followed by an intensive training of trainers, whose aim is to equip SMEs with the appropriate knowledge and tools to integrate IP and make use of the IP system in their business strategies

12 TANZANIA Branding Projects Following a request of the Government of Zanzibar, WIPO has devised a framework to capture the value of IP in the Zanzibar clove sector through an IP and branding strategy. The initial phase entailed an audit which has identified key challenges that the clove sector of Zanzibar is facing, from use of IP to leverage its economic potential, business and value chain organization perspective Tanzania continues to benefit from a series of WIPO human resource development programs, such as the WIPO Patent Drafting training, the WIPO Academy training programs and other WIPO sponsored training programs

13 TANZANIA Office Automation: o A digitization program has been launched, o Tanzania will be equipped with a data exchange account between BRELA and ARIPO

14 Uganda A project in the context of the WIPO Development Agenda Projects was launched in Uganda, which aims to support local communities of producers and farmers to design and implement IP and branding strategies to promote local business development. The project s foresees the development and implementation of a pilot project to brand the cotton product of the North Nile Zone to boost productivity in the cotton sector by strategically using IP to enhance its competitiveness. The ultimate goal is to use such strategies as empowering tools for the communities overall social development and poverty alleviation. A Program on the Use of Patent Information for Technological Capacity Building, was held in Uganda, in October, The objective was to build capacity for effective and enhanced utilization of patent information

15 A needs assessment mission for the installation of a Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) is being planned to take place in December 2011 Uganda continues to benefit from WIPO sponsored training programs geared towards building skills in IP

16 THANK YOU