11387: The Challenge of Protecting Indigenous Innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa

Saturday, July 26, 2025

14:00 - 15:30 CEST (GMT+2)

Location: Bella Center: Hall B- B5-m4

Session Type: PDW (workshop)
Orientation: International,Research
Shareable link: https://cdmcd.co/RxzaMM

Organizer(s)

CB

Constant D. Beugre

Delaware State U., United States
JK

Jean Dibondo Kabongo

U. of South Florida, United States

Participant(s)

JC

James Calvin

Johns Hopkins U., United States
MM

Mzamo P. Mangaliso

U. of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States
MA

Moses Acquaah

U. of North Carolina, Greensboro, United States

Although efforts in other regions of the world are made to protect indigenous knowledge and innovations, sub-Saharan Africa is still lagging behind. Hence, the purpose of this PDW is to engage a discussion on how to protect sub-Saharan Africa’s indigenous knowledge and innovations. There are at leat three types of intellectual property for indigenous innovations: geographic indications, collective marks, and patents. Geographic indications relate to the protection of products originating from a specific geographic location. For example, the UNESCO recently added the Ivory Coast’s staple, Attieke to its list of intangigle cultural heritage (BBC, December 5, 2024). A collective mark is a trade mark made by a group of indigenous people, such as a tribe or village to protect the authenticity of their products. A patent can be obtained by inventions based on indigenous knowledge or innovation. This PDW will pave the way for further research on the topic.