Dr Titilayo Adebola, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Centre for Commercial Law, School of Law – University of Aberdeen, delivered the Keynote Address at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)’s Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications 2025. The Symposium was jointly organised by WIPO and the Companies and Intellectual Property Office of Zimbabwe, with the support of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).
In her Keynote, while acknowledging the complexities and contestations around geographical indications, she emphasised their potential to contribute meaningfully to endogenous socio-economic development. In her Manifesto on Geographical Indications, she highlighted the crucial role that national governments play in identifying, supporting and scaling geographical indications, alongside the role of producer associations in managing and overseeing geographical indication systems. Dr Adebola noted that effective coordination across multiple government institutions alongside robust enforcement are critical to the success of geographical indications. A critical, but often underdiscussed, factor she discussed is the need for inclusive and equitable GI systems; systems that recognise and empower all relevant actors, particularly marginalised constituencies. Finally, she pointed out that the long-term success of geographical indications also depends on sustained investment in marketing, education, and consumer awareness.
In Dr Adebola’s words, it is time for African governments to “…invest in building homegrown GI systems, not in isolation, but in alignment with our development goals under the African Union’s Agenda 2063, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With strong national commitments, empowered producers, sub-regional and regional cooperation, GIs can become a pillar of Africa’s inclusive and sustainable economic transformation. The vision is clear. The tools and technologies are available. Now, it is time to act – with clarity of purpose, collective resolve and a sense of urgency.”
Dr Adebola’s Keynote offered timely and informed insights that will contribute to shaping ongoing conversations on building inclusive, sustainable and effective geographical indication systems.
