MoJ Set to Celebrate World Intellectual Property Day on April 26th

By Musa Saho

The Office of Registrar General under the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Justice will this year celebrate World Intellectual Property Day, on the 26th April, 2022 at the Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) complex in Kanifing.

The World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated annually around the world in April of every year since 2000.The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will spearhead the day’s celebration, with this year’s theme being IP and Youth: Innovating for a better future”.

According to Abdoulie Colley, Registrar General at the Ministry of Justice, responsible for The Gambia Industrial Property, said the IP Day is celebrated annually and the objective is to create IP awareness and sensitize the public on the importance of intellectual property rights for economic advancement.

The event, he added,  is also an opportunity for the IP Office in collaboration with the National Intellectual Property Council, to organize activities geared towards the implementation of The Gambia Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy 2018- 2023.

Mr. Colley said his office will collaborate with The Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) to deliver a public lecture for the benefit of students of GTTI, who are generally youths and plan to venture into technical career.

“There are around 1.8 billion young people (under 24) in the world today. Ninety percent of them live in developing countries. The proportion of young people (under 35) is set to increase in the coming years," Mr. Colley highlighted.

He noted that the youth of today are an incredible and largely untapped source of ingenuity and creativity that can help drive the changes we need to move to a more sustainable footing.

The Registrar General added that the fresh perspectives of the youths, their energy, curiosity and “can do” attitude, and their hunger for a better future, are already reshaping approaches and driving action for innovation and change.

Further on the relevance of the event, Colley said it provides an opportunity for young people to find out how IP rights can support their goals, help transform their ideas into reality, generate income, create jobs and make a positive impact on the world around them.

According to him, WIPO is working with its member states and partners to create a legal and policy friendly environment for young inventors, creators and entrepreneurs to thrive.

He therefore called on the young people to join the Intellectual Property Office and GTTI to celebrate this year’s IP Day.