President Joseph Nyumah Boakai has pledged his support to the Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to ensure the signing and ratification of the Arusha and Kampala protocols of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).
The President’s commitment was disclosed by Garmai Koboi, Director General of LIPO, at a Ministry of Information and Cultural Affairs press briefing on October 16 following a three-day visit to Liberia by a high-level ARIPO delegation led by Bemanya Twebaze, ARIPO Director General.
According to Koboi, the ARIPO delegation’s visit concluded with a meeting with President Boakai, who pledged his government’s commitment to ratifying the Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants and the Kampala Protocol on Voluntary Registration of Copyrights and Related Rights.
The visit, which took place October 13—15, also saw the ARIPO delegation meeting with Acting Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Samuel A. Stevquoah, Minister of Commerce, Magdalene E. Dagoseh, officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, and members of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs and Commerce committees, chaired by Representative Nekher E. Gaye.
“President Boakai reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to signing and ratifying the ARIPO Protocols, underscoring the government’s dedication to advancing intellectual property and agricultural innovation,” Koboi said at the Ministry of Information.
The Arusha Protocol establishes legal protections for plant breeders across Africa, including researchers at the Central Agricultural Research Institute, aiming to encourage agricultural innovation. Accession and ratification of the treaty could attract investment in agricultural development while supporting food security initiatives, according to the statement.
The Kampala Protocol establishes a streamlined regional system for copyright registration, providing Liberian authors, musicians, filmmakers, and other creators with enhanced legal protection across ARIPO member states. The treaty aims to facilitate cross-border licensing and royalty collection, potentially opening new revenue streams for Liberian artists and cultural entrepreneurs in regional markets.
“The engagement underscores the unwavering commitment of the administration of President Boakai to protecting the rights of our agricultural innovators, thereby attracting investment in agricultural research and development while supporting our food security goals,” Koboi added.
During the visit, the ARIPO delegation was honored in a traditional ceremony where Director General Twebaze was given the name Tarnue, meaning “owner of the town”. Speaking during the ceremony, Twebaze pledged ARIPO’s support of continued technical assistance, institutional strengthening, and capacity building to help Liberia develop its intellectual property framework and foster an innovation-driven environment.
According to Koboi, the President, is also committed to ratifying other international IP treaties, including the WIPO Copyright Treaty, the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, and the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Associated Traditional Knowledge.
These commitments come as the administration of President Boakai in the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, particularly under the Economic Transformation Pillar, specifically Program 7, Intervention 4, has made the development of a robust national IP ecosystem a national priority.
In a related development, Koboi has announced that LIPO is preparing to launch the second phase of the Intellectual Property Management Clinic. The project, first completed in 2024 in partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization, successfully trained 30 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on intellectual property management throughout the innovation process: from ideation and development to manufacturing, branding, and marketing.
As a direct result of this intervention, several SME owners have received certificates of trademark registration, including Sandy Group of Companies’ premium brand, Zaag Natural, with dozens more applications under review. This represents a significant breakthrough, as many of these entrepreneurs previously operated without understanding the economic importance of intellectual property protection.
“The upcoming launch of the second phase of the Intellectual Property Management Clinic will expand this critical capacity-building program to benefit a broader range of SMEs across Liberia,” Koboi added. “This initiative is one of the government’s ways of empowering Liberian businesses to utilize intellectual property as a tool for growth, competitiveness, and economic empowerment in the global marketplace.”
