A new initiative, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of developing and implementing intellectual property (IP) business strategies to secure and increase export incomes in a global marketplace, has been launched by NRI in partnership with Light Years IP, a US-based NGO, with funding from DFID in the UK. The project will be working initially in five locations in Africa, including Mozambique, Zambia, Kenya and a regional West African focus on the specific IP challenges and opportunities for West African textile producers.
© 2009 Light Years IP. Reproduced by kind permission
Ben Bennett, the agricultural marketing economist who is NRI's leader in the project, says, "Our main brief for this project in each targeted country is: to raise awareness of what IP is, and how to identify and quantify its value; to increase knowledge about the basic IP tools available; and to share experiences of how to set about capturing higher and more secure revenues from exported products by using IP business strategies."
A key component of the project activities will be in-country interactive workshops led by IP business experts, for participants from producer associations, export organizations, trade promotion agencies, and NGOs supporting small and medium enterprises. More information about the project and the workshops can be found on the Light Years IP project website