Chux Ohai
AS part of the activities for the celebration of the World Intellectual Property Day, scheduled for April 26, in Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation known as the Friends of the Creator Foundation, in partnership with the Faculty of Engineering, Delta State University, has decided to showcase some Nigerian women who made their mark in the creative sector.
The CFC, in a statement made available to our correspondent, said its decision was in line with the theme of this year’s event, Powering Change: Women in Innovation and Creativity.
The group said that a series of activities would be held to celebrate the role of intellectual property rights in innovation and creativity. The programme for the event, to be held at the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta State, will also feature lectures on intellectual property, an exhibition of innovative products, a quiz competition, drama performance and the presentation of awards to accomplished female artistes, such as actress Joke Silva, singer Veno Marioghae, popular choreographer Kaffy and others, including the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.
It noted that over 500 creators, inventors and en repreneurs, as well as policymakers and intellectual property lawyers, had already been confirmed to take part in the celebration. The Special Guest of Honour for the event will be former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State.
The World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated every year in all the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation. The purpose is to learn about the role that intellectual property rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity, especially in music and the arts, around the world.
According to a statement issued by WIPO, the 2018 World Intellectual Property Day celebration will highlight the “brilliance, ingenuity, curiosity and courage” of the women, who are driving change and shaping the future globally.
The statement reads in part, “Everyday women come up with game-changing inventions and life-enhancing creations that transform lives and advance human understanding from astrophysics to nanotechnology and from medicine to artificial intelligence and robotics. And in the creative sphere, whether in the movies, animation, music, fashion, design, sculpture, dance, literature, art and more, women are re-imagining culture, testing the limits of artistry and creative expression, drawing us into new worlds of experience and understanding.
“More than ever, women are taking up leadership roles and making their voices heard in science, technology, business and the arts. This is good news. With women and men working together, we strengthen humanity’s hand, and improve our ability to enrich our shared cultural wealth and develop effective solutions to alleviate poverty, boost global health, and safeguard the environment.
“The time is ripe to reflect on ways to ensure that increasing numbers of women and girls across the globe engage in innovation and creativity, and why this is so important. This year’s World Intellectual Property Day celebration is an opportunity to highlight how the intellectual property (IP) system can support innovative and creative women (and indeed everyone) in their quest to bring their amazing ideas to market.”
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