Staff Writer
A two-day seminar on IP awareness sessions on patents and innovation for Africa opened in Harare on Tuesday.
The seminar will be attended onsite and online to ensure maximum reach to participants and stakeholders.
The seminar is being hosted by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), the Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation in Africa (AfrIPI), and the European Patent Office (EPO).
Participants for this event were drawn from universities in African countries.
The participating states include Angola, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Seychelles, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe.
The two-day seminar aims to promote awareness of the importance of Intellectual Property (IP) to universities, research and development institutions, and innovation associations.
This is because, internationally, the role of universities and learning institutions has evolved beyond just imparting knowledge to students.
In the knowledge economy in which these institutions now operate, there is a greater need to harness information, promote innovation and create innovation value chains that contribute towards the sustainable development of communities and national economies.
The seminar will also demonstrate how universities can leverage increased efficiencies in patent searches and innovation.
This information is accessible from the PATLIB network that the EPO coordinates.
Some of the participating institutions and universities at this seminar include:
| Name | Country |
| University of Cabo Verde | Cape Verde |
| Addis Ababa Science & Technology University | Ethiopia |
| Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology | Ghana |
| Malawi University of Science and Technology | Malawi |
| Eduardo Mondlane University | Mozambique |
| Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun | Nigeria |
| College of Medicine | Nigeria |
| University of Rwanda | Rwanda |
| The University of Sao Tome and Principe | Sao Tome & Principe |
| University of Seychelles | Seychelles |
| Cape Peninsula University of Technology | South Africa |
| School of Medicine | University of Minho | Tunisia |
| Africa University | Zimbabwe |
| Name | Country |
| Bulawayo Polytechnic | Zimbabwe |
| Chinhoyi University of Technology | Zimbabwe |
| Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies | Zimbabwe |
| National University of Science and Technology | Zimbabwe |
| University of Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe |
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