WIPO Director General Wraps Up Official Visit to Namibia, Pledges Support in Developing Innovation Ecosystem
November 22, 2023
WIPO Director General Daren Tang wrapped up on November 22, 2023, a two-day official visit to Namibia where he met the Vice President, Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, the First Lady and other stakeholders from the innovation and creative sectors and pledged the Organization’s continued support for the strengthening of the country’s innovation ecosystem.
Throughout the meetings, Namibian officials expressed their commitment to strengthening the innovation ecosystem with intellectual property (IP) as a core part of policies to promote growth and development. A common thread throughout all meetings was the need to raise awareness of the importance of IP at the grassroots.
The Director General underlined WIPO’s vision of intellectual property as a powerful catalyst for jobs, investments, business growth and economic and social development in all parts of the world. He said WIPO is building a more inclusive IP ecosystem, focusing on startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), women, youth and Indigenous peoples and local communities – among those who have been under-represented in the IP system in the past.
Vice President Nangolo Mbumba said his country is rich in minerals and wants to ensure that these are processed in the country so they can create jobs and local wealth. He welcomed the Director General’s efforts to build a more inclusive and balanced IP system that takes into account the needs and expectations of developing countries. Mr. Tang shared ideas for several projects that could add value to various industries and center on training and mentoring Namibian entrepreneurs to take advantage of the tools of the IP system.
Discussions with Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila echoed those of the Vice President and other Ministers. The Prime Minister said innovation should be seen as a “bread and butter” issue where investments are warranted. She said innovation is key to promoting competitiveness. The Director General pledged WIPO’s support for helping innovators and creators at the grassroots to better exploit the IP system and move their ideas to the market. He said IP must become part of the journey of entrepreneurs in developing their business.
Mr. Tang and Deputy-Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwa discussed the importance of IP skills building across all sectors of society. The Director General said IP captures the value from natural and other resources.
In a meeting with Lucia Lipumbu, Minister of Industrialization and Trade, the Director General said WIPO will continue to work closely with the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) to deliver high impact projects and other capacity building initiatives in Namibia. The Ministry of Industrialization and Trade oversees the work of BIPA. Ms. Lipumbu said there is a strong need for initiatives to raise awareness of IP and develop skills in relation to IP management.
Yvonne Dausab, Minister of Justice, said IP has long been seen as elitist and she was pleased with the new vision of WIPO which seeks a more inclusive and balanced IP system. She said respect and understanding of IP go hand in hand and emphasized the need to develop a culture of respect for IP. Mr. Tang said this is one of the Organization’s priorities. He said entrepreneurs, startups, innovators and creators must see IP as part of their journey.
The evolving nature of the culture and creative industries in Namibia was at the center of discussions with Anna Nghipondoka, Minister of Education, Arts and Culture. The Minister and the Director General agreed on the need to raise awareness among creators of IP, especially in a country that is rich in arts and culture, like Namibia. Mr. Tang also underlined the need to introduce IP curricula in primary and secondary schools so that students begin to see innovation as part of their journey.
Obeth Kandjoze, Director-General of the National Planning Commission (NPC) said IP is key to promoting better living standards and it is critical for businesses in Namibia to use IP effectively. He also underlined the need for awareness raising activities, including among policy makers. The Director General said WIPO has customized training programs and can also tailor-make courses.
Mr. Tang also met with senior officials at the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation where he provided an overview of the various training programs run by the WIPO Academy. The delegation also visited the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) where they met with academics as well as innovators.
The Director General briefed First Lady Monica Geingos on the outcome of his official visit to Namibia and discussed projects to train Namibian entrepreneurs, innovators and creators in how to use intellectual property to grow their business and take their ideas to the market.
During all meetings, Mr. Tang and his delegation were accompanied by Chairperson of the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA), Immanuel Hanabeb and BIPA CEO Vivienne Katjiuongua and her colleagues.
A highlight of the Director General’s visit was the handover of the project "Namibian Women Entrepreneurs: From Generation to Commercialization of IP Assets," which was developed to address the critical need of recognizing IP as a driving force behind economic growth. The project provided a comprehensive IP training and mentoring program to 50 women entrepreneurs from diverse regions across Namibia. Following the training program, a mentoring initiative provided individualized guidance to 10 outstanding women entrepreneurs in June and July 2023.
Mr. Tang recognized three top participants - Ms. Ayesha Tjiueza (cosmetics and teas); Paulina Iita (cosmetics) and May Hikumwah (agribusiness) – with awards.
At the awards event, he was joined by Minister Lipumbu and Deputy Minister of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare Bernadette Jaggar as well as project beneficiaries . He said this project is one of 90 others that WIPO has launched around the world, especially in developing countries, noting the aim of scaling them with partners in Africa and beyond.
The Director General also met with creators – poets, musicians, fashion designers, film makers -to talk about their specific issues with respect to commercializing their work.