WINDHOEK – The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) in collaboration with Business Intellectual Property Agency (BIPA) hosted a workshop to discuss intellectual property rights (IPRs) last week at the Safari Hotel.
Under the theme ‘The value of holding national and international intellectual property rights,’ the workshop brought together stakeholders to brainstorm and share ideas on the importance of holding IPRs on plants and animal genetic resources.
In his introductory remarks, Mr Joseph Iita, Permanent Secretary of the MAWF stressed the importance of holding such a workshop. “This is a start of a process which will lead us to identify and assess the potential of different possibilities for intellectual property protection. This will enable us to make informed and appropriate decisions regarding opportunities offered by various IPRs options to protect, add value and maximise the economic opportunities from our genetic resources for food and agriculture.”
He concluded: “This workshop should highlight the gaps hindering the registration and implementation of intellectual property rights, identify the needs of our species/breeds/products that could benefit from the value of IPRs and provide a platform for us to share information.”
By Staff Reporter