SA: ARIPO showcases IP role at SARIMA 2025 in Stellenbosch

The annual conference seeks to bring together researchers, innovation managers and policymakers from across the region. This year’s theme, Expect the Unexpected: Unlocking the Value of Research & Innovation Management, highlights the role of Intellectual Property (IP) in advancing research and innovation, an area in which ARIPO has been working to build capacity across Africa.

Central to this effort is the ARIPO Academy, which offers training programmes, workshops and a Master’s in Intellectual Property degree aimed at strengthening IP skills within universities, research institutions and industry.

“Through the ARIPO Academy, we are not only training professionals but also shaping the intellectual property landscape of Africa,” ARIPO director general Bemanya Twebaze said. “The graduates and researchers we work with are driving IP policy, managing innovation, commercialising research outputs, and contributing to Africa’s socio-economic development in tangible ways. Their impact demonstrates how critical academic and research institutions are to innovation.”

At SARIMA 2025, ARIPO is showcasing how its initiatives help universities, R&D centres and innovation managers to use IP tools that protect research and support commercialisation. The organisation argues that bridging this gap ensures that African innovations reach the market and address societal needs.

As ARIPO approaches its 50th anniversary, it continues to emphasise capacity building, knowledge sharing and skills transfer as key to strengthening Africa’s innovation ecosystem and trade ambitions.

The conference follows the WIPO–ARIPO regional meeting for Technology and Innovation Support Centres (TISCs), held in May this year at the ARIPO Secretariat in Harare, Zimbabwe. That meeting reaffirmed a shared commitment to fostering innovation and narrowing the digital divide across Africa.