Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, will hold a one-day policy-level intellectual property conference on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 as part of its two-phase activities in celebrating World IP Day, scheduled for April 26, 2025.
This high-level gathering, held under the theme, “The Role of Intellectual Property and the Creative Sector in Achieving the ARREST Agenda under Program Seven”, will bring together key stakeholders, including policymakers, development partners, among others, under one roof to discuss and position intellectual property as a key driver of socio-economic development.
Director General, Garmai Koboi, said the Government of Liberia (GOL) is elevating the discourse around intellectual property and its role in achieving the ARREST agenda, a bold and visionary plan geared toward inclusive development and improving the lives of all Liberians.
She said in agriculture intellectual property empowers innovation and adds value to agriculture products, and transform commodities into premium goods with identity and market appeal.
This means intellectual property is a key economic tool in strengthening the agriculture sector, while improving revenue base and farmers income.
In education, intellectual property frameworks such as copyright and licensing ensure that knowledge is not just shared, but that creators and innovators benefit economically from their work. In doing so intellectual property supports the Arrest Agenda by building a system that economically rewards creativity while promoting socio-economic development.
According to her, the public event will fall on the main days of the observance of World Intellectual Property Day, and will use cultural music performances and educational outreach to amplify the importance of respecting intellectual property rights.
The Director General said LIPO is committed to working with stakeholders to ensure intellectual property becomes a cross-cutting enabler of economic diversification, legal reform industrial policy and trade strategy.
Speaking during the Ministry of Information regular press briefing on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 the DG said the awareness-raising event is not symbolic; it is a strategic investment in building public respect for intellectual property and to embed a culture of respect for creators and innovation.
“Liberia’s path toward middle income status will be determined not only by the exploitation of natural resources but increasingly by the generation and protection of intangible assets, ideas, brands, technologies, cultural products and research,” she stated.
