WIPO set to train 150 Youth Corps Members in second cohort of the Intellectual Property Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Program
November 28, 2024
The WIPO Nigeria Office officially kickstarted the second edition of the IP Skills Acquisition, Learning and Entrepreneurship (IP SALAYE) program on November 14, 2024, with an official launch event at the Innov8 Hub in Abuja.
The IP SALAYE 2.0 program is designed to empower young Nigerian entrepreneurs in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with the knowledge, skills, and necessary mentoring to effectively identify and manage their IP within the context of enterprising solutions developed while on their national service. The pilot cohort held from October 2023 to April 2024 in Abuja, with a total of 28 participants. The second cohort has been expanded to train 150 participants from Abuja as well as Lagos and Kano States.
The official launch event, which had over 50 youth corps members in attendance, featured notable dignitaries such as Mr. S.R. Aroni, Director, Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Department (SAED), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC); the Honourable Minister for Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, represented by Mr. Oladosu Saheed ; Mr. Marwan Umar Gwamba, Special Assistant to the Hon. Minister for Youth Development on International Cooperation,; as well as Representatives of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, the Nigerian Trademarks Registry and the Patent and Designs Registry.
Following welcome remarks by the Oluwatobiloba Moody, Director, WIPO Nigeria Office, , Mr. S.R. Aroni, , and Mr. Ige, Deputy General Manager at Innov8 Hub, the project overview was provided by Mr. Christopher Kalanje, Counsellor, WIPO IP for Business Division and Ms. Olaronke Famuyiwa, Program Officer, WNO.
Two participants in the previous cohort, Oluchi Eze and Emmanuel Iwanyean gave their reflections on the previous cohort and their respective journeys proceeding from the program.
I used to be an idea guy. Coming into the program, I got to meet mentors who were able to bring these ideas to light. I learnt is that it is not just about having the idea of the problems but knowing the next step to take.
Emmanuel Iwanyean, Group Veelyn, IP SALAYE 1.0
Applications for IP SALAYE 2.0 are currently ongoing and set to close on November 29, 2024. Following the close of applications, 50 participants will be selected from Lagos, Abuja and Kano, respectively, making a total of 150 participants. The selected participants will be onboarded into the program in December 2025. IP Salaye 2.0 is expected to run from December 2024 – June 2025.
