By Musa Saho
In his account of the implementation process of The Gambia Intellectual Property (IP), Policy, and Strategy Plan (2018-2023), during an exclusive interview the Registrar General at the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Justice, Mr. Abdoulie Colley, said the IP Policy is in its final year of implementation and that the IP office was able to come up with a new Intellectual Property Bill, which is already gazetted and will soon be tabled by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
He noted that among the key components of the IP Strategy is to build the capacities of the national IP office staff and agents. For this, he reported that the office has offered a series of capacity building programmes on best practices on trademark examination, training on Madrid International Registration System and ARIPO online registration system.
Also, he revealed, two technology innovation support centres have been established at the Gambia Technical Training Institute, Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while the automation of the Intellectual Property has been upgraded to a more efficient system.
On the issue of joining relevant International Intellectual Property Treaties, the Registrar General informed that cabinet has given approval for the National Intellectual Property Office to commence the process of joining five major Intellectual Copyright Treaties; such as the WIPO Copyright Treaty, Beijing Treaty, Marrakesh Treaty on visually impaired and Kampala Protocol on voluntary registration of copyright and related rights.
According to him, his office has partnered with the University of The Gambia and has developed the University’s first institutional IP Policy, which is expected to be validated in the first quarter of this year.
He said his office has established an outlet that assists investors in The Gambia to aid their understanding of the importance of IP and how to go about registering it.
He reported that the mandate of the ARIPO Technical Committee on Industrial Property Rights has been extended and the Registrar General of the Gambia is elected to serve as the Chairperson of the committee for the next two years.
Colley finally reiterated the Ministry’s continuous commitment to intensifying awareness creation on Intellectual and Industrial Property rights, in order for the people of The Gambia to maximise its use for economic benefits.
The proper implementation of the strategy is said to have commenced in 2020 with the establishment of a National Intellectual Property Council. The council comprised of the National Centre for Arts and Culture; Judiciary of The Gambia; Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency; Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology; The Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission; The Gambia Technical Training Institute among others, chaired by the Ministry of Justice.
