Among the high-profile participants in the 2024 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) South Africa Summer School on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer, were Maria-Stella Ntamark, the Programme Officer for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Academy, and Jetane Charsley, the Head of the National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO) under the Department of Science and Innovation. Ntamark said the WIPO-South Africa Advanced Summer School on IP and Technology Transfer had become a highlight of the WIPO Academy’s Summer School programme. Ntamark said the initiative exemplifies WIPO’s vision – a world where innovation and creativity from any corner of the world was nurtured and supported by a robust intellectual property ecosystem that benefited everyone. Ntamark said they foresaw an IP system that serves advanced economies as well as developing and least-developed countries; and IP system that caters for both major corporations and empowers SMMEs, entrepreneurs and grassroots innovators.
Charsley said the two-week long programme is not just an academic experience; “it is a transformative journey—an opportunity to deepen your understanding of intellectual property (IP) and technology transfer while forming connections that will drive innovation and collaboration across borders for years to come”. Charsley said the fact that South Africa was chosen as one of the 20 countries to host “this prestigious Summer School” on behalf of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), reflected the country’s commitment to fostering innovation, advancing sustainable development, and protecting intellectual property across diverse sectors. She appreciated that the presence of delegates from these African countries – Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Namibia, Ghana, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and delegates from the Netherlands, and the Caribbean, was enriching the programme, “turning it into a melting pot of ideas, perspectives, and shared goals”.