.jpg.jpeg)
Tanzania has called for a more inclusive global intellectual property (IP) system that expands technology transfer and strengthens capacity building for developing countries as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the global innovation landscape.
Addressing the 68th Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization on Tuesday, Tanzania's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Hoyce Temu, said developing economies must be equipped to benefit from emerging technologies rather than risk falling further behind.
"Tanzania recognizes intellectual property as a strategic driver of innovation, creativity, industrialisation and sustainable socio-economic development," Ambassador Temu told delegates.
She said Tanzania was pursuing a transition to a knowledge-based economy and viewed AI as a key enabler of innovation, productivity and economic transformation.
"We believe that inclusive intellectual property frameworks, capacity building and technology transfer are essential to enable developing countries to fully benefit from AI and other emerging technologies," she said.
Her remarks come as governments continue debating how international intellectual property rules should evolve to address the rapid rise of AI, with many developing nations advocating greater access to technology, skills development and knowledge sharing to narrow the global digital divide.
Temu said Tanzania was implementing legal and institutional reforms to strengthen its intellectual property system, including improving public services, enhancing enforcement and expanding institutional capacity.
She also acknowledged WIPO's support for several initiatives in Tanzania, including intellectual property management programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups, technology transfer projects linking universities with research institutions, patent examination training, and the digitalisation of intellectual property administration.
"We remain committed to strengthening our intellectual property system through legal reforms, enhanced service delivery, effective enforcement, institutional capacity building and public awareness," she said.
According to Temu, the reforms are designed to stimulate innovation, attract investment, create employment opportunities and accelerate sustainable economic growth.
She reaffirmed Tanzania's commitment to working closely with WIPO and its member states to build what she described as "an inclusive, balanced and future-oriented international intellectual property system" that supports innovation while ensuring the benefits of technological progress are shared more equitably across developed and developing economies alike.
