Regional integration in the area of intellectual property : the case for Southern African Development Community involvement

Abstract

As the Southern African Development Community (SADC) seeks to position itself as a conduit to promote economies of scale and contribute to the development of its Member States, the importance of intellectual property (IP) as a driver for innovation, investment and thus economic activity should not be understated. While, admittedly, IP is not the most pressing priority for most African countries, it is of considerable importance to our trading partners and their constituent industries as demonstrated in multilateral forums such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and at regional level as seen during the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations with the European Community (EC).