Uganda told to harness intellectual property for economic take-off

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The director general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Daren Tang, has advised the government to invest in key intellectual property sectors such as science, technology and innovation to stimulate national economic growth and create high-value employment opportunities.

Tang said intellectual property is no longer limited to legal technicalities but has become a catalyst for investment and a driver of growth and development. He noted that IP can unlock the entrepreneurial knowledge and intellectual resources of Ugandans alongside the country's natural endowments.

Given Uganda’s rich resources, Tang believes that IP can be a major success factor in sectors such as shea butter and coffee. He emphasised that WIPO’s focus in Uganda includes young people, micro, small and medium enterprises, and rural and local communities.

“We are assisting Uganda to register Rwenzori coffee, protect it, market and also commercialise it as a premium reflecting the richness of your soil. The registration of this coffee as your GI is an example of how IP is relevant even to the farmers and local communities, enabling them to leverage the designation of IP combined with trademarks and designs to market, brand and package their products,” explained Tang.

Uganda currently has 37 technology and innovation support centres. Tang advised the government to upgrade some of these into fully fledged technical institutions focused on training and certification. He said such investment in social development can lead to commercialised research and development, job creation, new start-ups and increased economic value.

(Credit: Juliet Kasirye)

Tang noted: “I think you are seeing that Africa is also embracing this vision of development where engines of growth are powered by innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. IP cannot remain business as usual, because we have worked hard in the last few years to make IP much more relatable, relevant and useful to Uganda, Africa and the global south.”

He made the remarks during an engagement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kampala on Thursday (December 4).

The meeting, which attracted top government officials including the Registrar General, the URSB board chairperson, the Solicitor General, the Attorney General and the WIPO delegation, sought to strengthen partnerships and prepare IP systems.



Tang is visiting Uganda for the first time. During his stay, he has visited the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is expected to launch the IP in Schools project at the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).

According to the Registrar General of URSB, Mercy Kyomugasho Kainobwisho, intellectual property in Uganda dates back to 1912, when the first applications and trademark registrations were made under the Patents and Trademarks Ordinance of that year.

Kainobwisho said the country has since seen significant growth in registrations, knowledge products and sectoral development. She added that national policies are now aligned with integrating intellectual property across all sectors of the economy.

Kainobwisho stated that, “in Uganda, we are trying to use intellectual property to grow ourselves, grow household incomes, and also create wealth. We are not looking at registration services as the national IP office, we are looking at how we can commercialise all these efforts of our creators, innovators.”

Representing President Yoweri Museveni, the Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, said the National Resistance Movement’s ideology is rooted in its ten-point programme, which includes patriotism, Pan-Africanism and socioeconomic transformation.

“WIPO is the agency that can help to get our ideas to the market because we have now moved away from protecting intellectual property to commercialising intellectual property. There is no point in having a very valuable intellectual property, which does not have any returns at the end of the day,” explained Kiwanuka.

He commended WIPO for its continued support to Uganda through URSB, noting that its contribution has been clearly understood and appreciated.