Durban: Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Nomalungelo Gina, has called on South Africa to enhance intellectual property (IP) awareness and protection for grassroots innovators. She highlighted the ongoing challenge faced by township and rural entrepreneurs who often lose ownership of their ideas due to a lack of IP knowledge.
According to South African Government News Agency, Gina spoke at the 17th World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) South Africa Summer School on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer in Durban. She referenced the case of 'Please Call Me' inventor Nkosana Makate as both inspirational and cautionary, underscoring the risks innovators face if they fail to secure their ideas early.
Dr. Gina expressed concern that many young innovators and researchers miss out on significant economic opportunities because they are not empowered to protect their concepts. She emphasized that programmes like the WIPO Summer School are crucial in bridging this gap by providing access to IP education and equipping emerging innovators to benefit from their work.
Gina connected her message to last week's Grassroots Innovation Awards in Pretoria, noting that despite the valuable ideas produced by community-based innovators, many still lack the means to protect or commercialize them. She stressed the government's responsibility to ensure that township and rural communities do not lose ownership due to inadequate access to IP education.
Highlighting the WIPO Summer School as a flagship capacity-building initiative, Gina noted that South Africa is one of the few global hosts of the programme. It is developing a growing pool of IP managers, technology transfer specialists, and innovation leaders across the continent. She mentioned that investments in IP management, led by the National IP Management Office, are yielding increased disclosures, patents, licenses, and spin-off companies at universities and science councils.
The Deputy Minister also emphasized the importance of protecting Indigenous Knowledge Systems, stating that traditional herbs, medicines, and heritage assets must be formally recognized and owned by the communities that created them.
Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), the host of this year's programme, reinforced its commitment to strengthening research and innovation capabilities. MUT's Technology Transfer and Innovation Deputy Director, Dr Mandla Hlongwane, said the event positions the university as a contributor to national and continental knowledge economies.
The 2025 WIPO Summer School, which commenced on 24 November, is set to conclude on Friday, 5 December.