From Ideas to Inventions: How IP Tools Transformed Mariama Sarge's Business Journey

Mariama Sarge, a small business owner from The Gambia, embarked on a transformative journey when she attended a workshop on how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can use intellectual property (IP) tools to grow their businesses. Her biggest takeaway from the workshop was, as she puts it, learning about IP and “how important it is and how it can help me in my business.”

Following the workshop, Mariama was among 50 SMEs selected to participate in a follow-up project that provided them with training, coaching, and mentoring in a wide range of IP-related topics.The project yielded significant results, and six SMEs received 100,000 Gambian Dalasis each through a partnership with GCCI from UNDP.

Mariama’s crowning achievement was the invention of a Multifunctional Solar-Powered Cart. This innovative cart, designed for street vendors to sell food and beverages, includes an built-in fridge, a thermal flask, a fruit peeling machine, a juice presser, a gas cooker, and a charging system for customers, all powered by solar energy.

The cart was designed as a solution to a number of problems faced by street vendors and their customers. Every day, hundreds of people consume unhealthy food and drinks from unclean food vendors. Many businesswomen are forced to leave the streets due to low income and high rates of unemployment. Mariama’s cart provides a clean, safe, and healthy alternative for food and beverage vending. It is easily accessible, sustainable, and empowers youth by creating employment opportunities.

Through the IP+ Program, her invention has been registered and protected as a Utility Model, making Mariama the first female inventor to register a utility model in The Gambia.

Reflecting on her journey, Mariama shares, “Before the training, I was doing many things differently and exposing my work and trade secrets to my competitors and team. But after the training, I started writing contract agreements with IP notes to my work and working on how I can protect my trade secrets.”

Looking ahead, Mariama has big plans. “Five years from now, I want to be part of the innovators of Africa,” she says. She intends to register her Multifunctional Solar-Powered Cart invention worldwide, and also plans for her products to be protected under various forms of intellectual property rights.

Mariama credits IP with unlocking her creativity and opening up new opportunities. “IP helped me to understand my business and how I can make investments,” she explains. “IP helped me to know how my business can make more money by being an innovator. IP helped me to register my first utility model and how it is protected in The Gambia to prevent copyright infringement. IP helps me to know how I can post my work pictures on social media without exposing my trade secrets. IP unlocks my creativity, mind and opportunities."

Mariama’s story is a testament to the power of intellectual property tools to empower SMEs, foster innovation, and drive economic growth. Her journey continues to inspire other entrepreneurs in The Gambia and beyond.

Background

The National Workshop on The Effective Use of Intellectual Property Tools by Small and Medium Enterprises in Banjul, The Gambia, from September 13 to 15, 2023, was held by in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of The Gambia. It underscored the pivotal role women entrepreneurs play in the SME sector, emphasizing their potential contribution to a growing economy. In response, the Division for Africa team from the Regional and National Development Sector (RNDS) Division for Africa initiated a project focusing on mentoring and coaching 50 SMEs, including Mariama Sarge, to leverage the IP system for commercial success.

The tailored coaching program by IP experts equipped these selected entrepreneurs with leadership, financial, marketing, and technical skills, fostering value addition and enabling them to compete in regional markets empowered with IP strategies. This project saw significant achievements, including the registration of trademarks and a utility model, and the development of IP Business Strategies for the participating companies.

Mariama Sarge, in particular, made remarkable strides. She invented a Multifunctional Solar-Powered Cart, which was registered and protected as a Utility Model, making her the first female inventor to register a utility model in The Gambia. Her story is a testament to the power of intellectual property tools in empowering small and medium enterprises, fostering innovation, and driving economic growth.