The Theme for the 2023 World Intellectual Property Day was “Women and Intellectual Property: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity.” The Day celebrated the “can do” attitude of women inventors, creators and entrepreneurs around the world and their ground-breaking work.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) “women in all regions are shaping the world through their imagination, ingenuity and hard work, but often face significant challenges in accessing the knowledge, skills, resources and support they need to thrive.”
Dr Titilayo Adebola delivered a paper titled “Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity in Africa” at the Robert Gordon University’s World Intellectual Property Day Celebration on 25 April 2023. The event organised by Thorsten Lauterbach (Law School).
In her paper, Dr Adebola asked two core questions (i) Why is there a gender gap in innovation, creativity and use of intellectual property rights in Africa? (ii) How can we close this gender gap?
Central Claims
The social, cultural and economic landscapes in many parts of Africa contribute to limiting women’s engagement in innovation, creativity and use of intellectual property rights.
A holistic approach is required to close the gender gap in the use of intellectual property rights in Africa.
Dr Adebola noted that the factors that contribute to the gender gap in intellectual property in Africa include (i) Cultural norms (ii) Financial constrains (ii) Information asymmetries (iv) Lack of investment in education, training and skill development (v) Lack of investment in research and development (vi) Inadequate Intellectual Property Rights Regimes.
In Dr Adebola’s words, if we want to see more women registering and enforcing intellectual property rights in Africa, we must address the contextual factors that create and exacerbate the gender gaps.
