Explainer: How creative industry can solve unemployment in Africa

The creative industry, if well harnessed can solve the unemployment question which is a ticking bomb waiting to explode across the 20 African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) member states. 

Signs of the impending detonation are already clear on the wall in several ARIPO member countries, including Uganda.  

But with the Eleventh Extraordinary Session of the ARIPO Administrative Council which is a precursor to the Council of Ministers’ meeting that will adopt a protocol for the voluntary registration of copyright and related rights through a diplomatic August 27-28 conference, there is chance that a breakthrough to the unemployment challenge might have been found.

“We have an opportunity through this protocol to address some of the contemporary challenges we face in our countries including youth unemployment, low incomes for our artists and inability to exploit the export market for our cultural products,” the Director General Of ARIPO, Mr Bemanya Twebaze said early August 23 in his remarks made at the opening ceremony of the 11th Extraordinary Session of the ARIPO Administrative Council.

ARIPO, an entity established to promote harmonization and development of intellectual property laws currently administers four protocols including  the Harare Protocol on patents and industrial designs; Banjul Protocol on trademarks, Swakopmund Protocol on traditional knowledge and Folklore; and the Arusha Protocol on plant varieties.

The draft protocol on copyright and related rights will become the fifth Protocol to be administered by ARIPO, and more critically will close the gap in terms of a regional mechanism for administration of copyright. It will be the first of its kind in Africa.

“Africa is a cradle of creativity and, through this protocol, we hope to harness the potential of our creative industries for our economies’ growth and development. Copyright offers opportunity for securing the value created by our book authors, singers, film makers, computer programmers- in diverse industries including the publishing, music, software, art and crafts, advertising and broadcasting industries among others,” Mr Twebaze explained.

He also opined that copyright based industries have low barriers of entry since all a person requires is his or her talent or skill to participate in this industry and therefore; the copyright based industries are a major source of employment for especially the youth.

‘‘A single copyright owner is capable of creating between 4 to 10 jobs along the value chain, all the way from the person who produces a copyright work to the person who distributes or broadcasts the work to the public,’’ he noted.

Rallying call

Third Deputy Premier and Minister without Portfolio, Ms Lukia Nakadama, said: “Whether works of science, art or literature, Africa had it for thousands of years.  It therefore brings much pride to be a witness to the current efforts to put in place a system to facilitate registration of copyright at a regional level in Africa in order to provide evidence for ownership; facilitate enforcement of rights; facilitate access to creative content and facilitate efficient distribution of royalties to the right holders.”

This protocol, she adds, is the first of its kind and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

She said government is privileged to have this protocol adopted in Kampala.

Ms Nakadama argued that ARIPO member states have the opportunity to support the protocol and to utilize the system which will be put in place after its enacted.  

This, she says is because creativity alone does not lead to tangible benefits and development unless the commercialization and exploitation of that creativity is supported through systems that enable recognition and respect for ownership of creative works.

She said: “One of the factors undermining respect and recognition of copyright in Africa, is lack of documentation of ownership of works.’’

Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) Registrar General, Ms Mercy Kainobwisho said: “Today, the need for such a protocol cannot be under emphasized especially due to the growing economic potential of the various sectors, sub-sectors and segments that are directly and indirectly related to the copyright industry and their contribution to the GDP of their respective countries and as vehicles for domestic, international and bilateral trade.

She concluded saying: “The hosting of this conference demonstrates Uganda’s commitment in as far as protection of intellectual property rights is concerned.”

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