By Mahdi Waziri Isa
African expert on regional economic integration Law and Practice, Professor Muhammed Tawfeeq Ladan, has highlighted derivable benefits of annexes to the African Continental Free Trade Area Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights for 54 African Union Member States
Professor Ladan spoke exclusively to Education Monitor after meeting of AfCFTA Taskforce in Accra Ghana to harmonize and update the draft annexes to the AfCFTA Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights in Africa.
He said these benefits include promoting intra-African trade, fostering innovation and creativity and ensuring a more robust IP system on the continent. More detailed Benefits include:
1. Harmonized and Consistent IP Protection:
The AfCFTA Protocol aims to create a uniform system for IP protection across the African continent.
Detailed annexes help to ensure that member states understand and implement the IPR provisions consistently, avoiding inconsistencies that can hinder trade and investment.
2. Fostering Intra-African Trade:
The AfCFTA’s objective is to facilitate trade within the continent, and strong IP protection is essential for ensuring that goods and services can be marketed and protected effectively.
Clear IP rules, particularly those related to trademarks, geographical indications, and copyright, encourage businesses to invest in and expand their operations within the African market.
3. Promoting Innovation and Creativity:
The Protocol provides a framework for protecting new ideas, inventions, and creative works.
Annexes that address copyright, patents, utility models, and industrial designs incentivize innovation and creativity, leading to new products, services, and technologies.
Protection for traditional knowledge and genetic resources can also stimulate innovation within African communities.
4. Strengthening Negotiating Positions:
A harmonized and strong IP system strengthens African negotiating positions in international IP negotiations.
African countries can work together to address issues related to trade, IP, and development, leading to more favorable outcomes in international trade agreements.
5. Supporting Economic Development:
The AfCFTA Protocol, with its detailed annexes, is a key element in Africa’s economic development agenda.
By promoting innovation, trade, and investment, the Protocol can contribute to job creation, poverty reduction, and overall economic growth.
Specific Benefits for Annexes on Traditional Knowledge and Genetic Resources:
Annexes addressing traditional knowledge and genetic resources help to protect the rights of African communities who have developed these valuable resources.
This protection ensures that communities benefit from the commercialization of their knowledge and resources, promoting sustainable development.
In essence, the AfCFTA Protocol, with its detailed annexes, provides a comprehensive framework for promoting IP protection, fostering innovation, and driving economic development across the African continent.
Participants were drawn from from Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon, Gabon, Mauritius and Nigeria met to harmonize