AS Tanzania has embarked on an industrialisation drive, the dream will not be realised should Intellectual property matters be ignored, Minister of Trade and Empowerment, Mr Charles Mwijage, has said.
Opening the African Regional
Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO)’s two-day roving seminar on
fostering creativity and innovation for economic growth and development
in Africa held in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Mr Mwijage said it was
meaningless to innovate without protection.
Citing the economic contribution of
copyright-based industries, he said a 2012 World Intellectual Property
Organisation (WIPO) study showed that “Tanzania demonstrated that
copyright based industries make a significant contribution to national
economy.”
He said data showed that between 2007
and 2010m copyright- based industries generated between 391.6bn/- and
680.9bn/-, translating to a contribution of between 3-4 per cent to the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Mr Mwijage further noted that employees
in the industry generated between 38.9bn/- to 83.7bn/-, a proportion of
between 2.8 and 5.2 per cent of the total national economic value,
employing between 28,202 and 44,331 people.
“In terms of GDP contribution, the
copyright-based industries generally performed better than hotels,
restaurants and mining and quarrying sectors,” the minister added.
Under the information technology sphere,
innovators, designers and creators are required to protect their
property through IP, to avoid plagiarisms.
In the event which was also attended by
ARIPO General Director Fernando dos Santos and senior Counselor Regional
Bureau for Africa Joyce Banya, first secretary of Japanese embassy in
Tanzania Yuji Nakayama said establishing and improving IP systems was
essential for promoting innovations and developing industries in Africa.
However, the chief executive officer of
Copyright Society of Tanzania (COSOTA), Doreen Sinare, said the country
needed to ratify and domesticate the international instruments to make
sure that Tanzania “adheres to international systems for the
implementation of IP in our country.”
Ms Banya said Tanzania’s choice for
hosting the seminar stemmed from its impressive performance in matters
pertaining to IP. Other local players that attended the seminar are
Business Registration and Licensing Agency, Plant Breeders’ Rights,
artists representatives and innovators.
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