WIPO, Ghana sign IP plan

WIPO press release 2008PR/2008/551 states today that the World Intellectual Property Organization has signed an Intellectual Property Development Plan with the Republic of Ghana. According to this release:

"... WIPO reinforced its cooperation with the Republic of Ghana with the signing on May 7, 2008 of an intellectual property (IP) development plan which aims to build the country’s capacity to create, protect and utilize IP as a power tool for economic growth and development. The IP Development Plan also seeks to ensure that the IP offices and potential users of the IP system - such as universities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), chambers of commerce and industry, research and development institutions and copyright organizations - have the technical capacity to use the intellectual property system.

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WIPO Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris, ... said that the Development Plan offered a comprehensive and coherent approach to establishing a robust IP framework that would support the country’s development objectives.

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The IP Development Plan covers a range of activities including legislative advice and workshops on strategic use of different aspects of the IP system targeting various stakeholders including small and medium-sized enterprises, research and development institutes, and the judiciary. It also includes support and advice to promote the development of creative industries, electronic commerce, copyright collective management, traditional knowledge, agricultural development and plant varieties. The plan further seeks to enhance the country’s IP infrastructure through modernizing and automating national IP administration to ensure high quality service delivery, extensive training and public awareness programs and the development of a national IP strategy to support economic growth and development".