Speakers for All Africa IP Summit 2024 Unveiled

The International Trade and Research Centre (ITRC), organizers of the 2024 Africa Intellectual Property Summit, have unveiled an ensemble list of speakers for the 5th All Africa IP Summit set to take place November 28–30, 2024, at the Serena Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda.

This year’s theme, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs): The Catalyst for Sustainable Development Goals in Africa,” will focus on aligning IPRs with sustainable development, empowering Africa’s economy through innovation, and exploring the role of IP within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in insightful discussions, workshops, and networking sessions designed to foster collaboration and drive positive change in Africa’s IP ecosystem.

Among others, the speakers include H.E Olusegun Awolowo, National Coordinator of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office; Ms. Altaye Tedla Desta; Director, IP eLearning and Internal Training Program at the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) Academy.

Other speakers include Mr. Ituku Elangi Botoy, Industrial Property Officer at WIPO’s Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC); Prof. Desmond O. Oriakhogba, Associate Professor, Department of Private Law, University of the Western Cape, South Africa; Olusegun Olutayo, Senior International Trade Policy and Trade Law Expert; Desire Loumou; Head of Intellectual Property Rights Division, AfCFTA Secretariat.

Also billed to speak at the 2024 All Africa IP Summit are Dr. Tsotetsi Makong, Chief Technical Advisor, Capacity Building, Trade Policy and Negotiations, AfCFTA Secretariat; Dr. Samuel Samiái Andrews, Professor of Intellectual Property Law at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia; Youssouf Diallo, Ph.D Researcher in African and Francophone Studies; and Christianah Akinyemi, American University Washington College of Law.

More are Mr. Hassan M. Kimela, Researcher at the Department of Private Law, Faculty of Law at Mzumbe University, Tanzania; Komborerai Allan Manenji, Data Protection Compliance Officer, Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ); Ajay K Sharma; Senior Doctoral Fellow at IIT Kharagpur, India; Mr. Gatete Nyiringabo Ruhumuliza, Senior fellow, Institute of Policy Analysis and Research, Rwanda, among many others.