Zambia has joined the rest of the world in commemorating the World Intellectual Property (IP) Day under the theme “IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future”.
Speaking at the commemoration event attended by One Love Radio in Lusaka on Tuesday, Patents and companies Registration Agency PACRA said the IP day celebrates a unified recognition of IP as a very powerful tool in the ever evolving lives.
Agency’s acting registrar and CEO Wilson Banda said that PACRA will ensure that innovations are registered and protected and that ideas are transformed into real products.
“PACRA will go further to ensure that these innovations are registered and protected. The agency will endeavor to ensure the winning inventors are linked to key stakeholders so that their ideas are transformed to real products,” he said.
Meanwhile, Officiating at the event Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Chipoka Mulenga encouraged innovators and inventors to make most of the favorable and conducive environment the government is providing for every business to strive.
Mr. Mulenga also advised youths to conquer what has not been done before through different innovations and register their ideas and thought processes with PACRA for identification.
He pledged to support innovative ideas further stating that IP is a tool to generate export activities and channel intellectual abilities among other things.
“Register with patents and company so that we identify you as the one who has done this project… It’s not only going to give revenue to the country or improve living standards to the people but will also give you a different perspective of how the world views you,” the Minister said.
And speaking at the same event, Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati said it is important to ensure the main end game, out of innovations is creating job opportunities.
“We have said that part of the solutions is creating opportunities for funding, for innovators and inventors. This year alone 2022 we lifted up the budget from last year by three times providing over 22 million kwacha to support innovators and inventors, because we think this is critically necessary to push this particular agenda,” he also said.
