Ethiopia promotes importance of IP

The government in Ethiopia seems to have grasped the importance of intellectual property rights as a development tool, and is now mobilizing judicial and law enforcement agencies, as well as the media and schools, to press home the need for this in terms of the domestic economy. Patents for industrial design have enabled Ethiopia to start developing a local manufacturing base and ease its reliance on imported goods.

A process is under way to protect traditional Ethiopian medicines, most of which have no written support. Traditional doctors are having their remedies tested and analyzed by western-trained medical researchers. If the remedies are found to be effective, they are patented in the name of the traditional doctors and pharmaceutical companies, and the patent holders receive royalties on any sales. "Traditional doctors are willing to share their knowledge provided that their rights are recognized and they are able to profit from their knowledge, commented Getachew Mengistie, director general of the Ethiopian IP Office, reported on the America.gov web site.